Thursday, October 10, 2013

Healthy Granola Recipe

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Happy Fall everyone, and especially those in the Southwest!

It is finally -finally- time to keep the windows open at night, go for walks *during the day!* and enjoy this beautiful weather.  You know what I'm talking about...doing all those things the rest of the world has been talking about and posting pictures of on Instagram for the past 4 months.


Apparently it was the hottest summer on record here in Phoenix.  Going from an average of about 110* to highs in the 70s is  a  w  e  s  o  m  e  !

Mia and I spent some time outside today..don't mind the long sleeves, these 75 degrees felt chilly I swear!






And now it is time to share one of my favorite, easy, pretty healthy go-to recipes.  

GRANOLA
I love granola because:
--It is great mixed with yogurt which makes for an awesome snack or breakfast food
--Oats are believed to increase your milk supply if you are breastfeeding  and I will attest - I definitely notice a difference after I eat them.  For some awesome healthy oatmeal options, check out my five favorites here.

I also added a little "Fall Holiday Flavor" to my granola this time and added in some pumpkin pie spice instead of just regular cinnamon.  I'll admit that was a pretty great decision.

Here's the list:
:: 5 cups rolled oats
:: 1/3 cup coconut oil (I use the flavorful kind for this type of recipe - unrefined 
:: 1/3 cup honey (or I might use real maple syrup if I'm out of honey)
:: 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon works)
:: 1/2 tsp vanilla
:: your extra add-ins (I eyeball these measurements): 
---> 1/2 cup (or so) of pecans (or any nuts you like - I often add sliced almonds to my mix)
---> 1/3 cup (or so) sunflower seeds (I like the salted to add an extra saltiness to the mix)
---> 1/3 cup (or so) pepitas (pumpkin seeds - again I do the salted kind)
---> 1+ cups raisins, added after you bake

Of course you can add any amount of what I consider "add-ins", just remember if you add *a lot* more, you might want to up your oil/honey/spice amounts.

Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350*
2. Mix all ingredients together except any dried fruit you are using
3. Spray your biggest cookie sheet with Pam (or you can use some coconut oil)
4. Pour mixture on the pan and bake for 18 minutes (or until golden brown), taking the pan out to stir every 6 minutes.  Stir in your raisins / dried fruit and let cool.

Strange numbers maybe, but after many trials and errors this is the exact timing for my oven to give me this:

Healthy, Simple Granola Recipe


And now for some full disclosure: I started making granola from a recipe I got from my dear friend Coriena who I used to live with at Maggie's Place.  After many experiments, it has transformed into this version which I now pass to you.  Enjoy!


And Happy Fall Ya'll!

8 comments:

  1. Loved this recipe! I've been wanting to cook my own granola for a while now, so I can stop buying it overpriced. Thanks for posting (I found it on Pinterest).

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  2. My favourite granola recipe so far. Thanks for sharing. :)

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