The winners have been selected for this giveaway. Didn’t win and want to try some, you can find Liza at the Evanston Farmer’s Market or contact her via her Facebook page for more information!
You may remember my friend, Liza, from my post on the Pajama Program. Aside from her philanthropic endeavors, Liza is also an awesome runner (met her training for the Boston Marathon – just like Kelly), an Ironman triathlete, a working mom of 2 boys and a fun person to be around. A few weeks ago, Liza emailed me to ask if I would try her new granola. She cooks, too? Wow, she really is the perfect woman. I can’t begrudge her because she is an awesome person AND she shares! She started selling granola at the Evanston Farmer’s market and launching her new business – Liza’s Crunch Granola.
Of course, I said YES and rushed to plan a meet up to get the goods.
I also asked her to tell us in her own words how she got started making the granola and why she decided to launch her business. She said:
“Liza’s Crunch Granola began with a love of baking, sharing, staying healthy and a bike ride!
I loved snacking on granola during triathlon training rides, but I was worried about the high sugar (and calorie) content and got tired of the greasy shine it left on my fingers. Why was I putting this oil in my body at the same time I was trying to stay healthy and fit? Why do they bake my favorite training snack with oil, butter, syrups, honey or molasses?
I decided to try it on my own. It took a long while, but craisin/pineapple was born! I shared this snack with family, friends and co-workers. The response was overwhelming. “This is the best granola I’ve ever had!” “You have to sell this.” “What other flavors can you make?” and “Can I buy it in bulk?”
LCG now has 5 different flavors- craisin/pineapple, blueberry/apricot, dark chocolate/mixed berry, white chocolate/mixed berry and apple/cinnamon. We also feature gluten free varieties using Trader Joe’s gluten free oats!
LCG is currently sold in Chicago at Black Coffee Gallery in the Lakeshore East neighborhood, the Evanston Farmer’s market (summer and winter) and Galleria on Sherman Avenue in Evanston. As we move onward and into the retail marketplace, our next step is to update our packaging and developing a website to sell my granola across the country!
I’ve always loved baking, sharing and staying healthy. Now I have a way to combine all 3 with Liza’s Crunch Granola!”
I met Liza and she dropped off three bags of granola for me to try: craisin/pineapple, blueberry/apricot and dark chocolate/cherry. Lucky for me, this was before my elimination diet, so I tried them plain and with vanilla/unsweetened almond milk and skim milk. The sample was so generous that I shared them with Stacy, Molly, Maureen and Meryl, too, to get additional perspectives.
The granola has no added oil or sugar, so it is light and not greasy. My favorite was (no surprise) the dark chocolate cherry. I liked it plain and with skim milk/unsweetened almond milk. The vanilla almond milk over-powered the other tastes. I enjoyed both fruit flavors, as well. I did not have any plain yogurt in the house, but I think that would have been a big hit for me, too.
The ladies all had good things to say:
“Where can I buy this??” – best praise – right?
“ I’ve tried them and really like them! It’s different from other granola in that it is drier and less “clumpy.” While I don’t dislike the clusters in other granola, this seems to be missing some oily, binding texture (hence drier), which is a good thing to miss! Much to my surprise, I think the chocolate one ranks third of the three I tried! I liked them all but blueberry apricot was my favorite”
“My fave was the chocolate (duh) and [the husband] liked the one with blueberries. I liked that they had walnuts, too (another fave)!”
“They were all good but I like the pineapple best”
“I actually ate it plain but imagine it would be even more tasty on top of yogurt. I thought it was flavorful and appreciated that it was made with all natural ingredients.”
I loved that all of the testers had different preferences – that is what makes the world go around (and I don’t have to share my fave as much!)
Liza is working on her online site, but she has offered to send TWO lucky readers each THREE flavors of their choice (gluten full or gluten free based on availability!) And, if you don’t win, I can hook you up with Liza and she can send you some if you are not in the Chicago area. Enter the giveaway with the Rafflecopter widget below.
Please don’t forget to click the green button on each entry you choose. If you already like my page on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter, click that button on the Rafflecopter and get credit! The giveaway is open through the end of the day on Wednesday, July 31st. I will select and notify two winners on Thursday, August 1. Only valid for participants in the US at this time. Please note that Liza’s Crunch Granola provided the samples and granola for the giveaway, but all opinions are mine and those of my friends.
Good luck and have a great day!!