GRANOLA

We all love granola.  It sounds great, tastes great, but is not great for you.  Well not the commercial granola that you and I have come to love.  Many commercial brands include a variety of ingredients that will sabotage your diet.  Ingredients such as sugar, sugar substitute, sweeteners, Saturated fat, sodium, and preservatives are terrible things added to this traditional breakfast cereal.  According to Quaker (the food company) their 100% Natural Oats & Honey Granola tastes “so great both hot and cold…have you wishing you could eat breakfast for every meal.” However, a closer examination at the nutritional breakdown of this “Natural” food will have you wishing the total opposite.  For years, I thought I was making healthy food choices, choosing granola as the “perfect” way to start my morning.  In retrospect this was not a healthy food choice, and a poor way to start my morning.  Lets take a look at the nutritional breakdown.  Notice the total calories in just ½ cup serving (232 calories), total fat (9.6 grams), and sugar (13.34 grams). Think this is bad? Your darn right!

Granola does not have to be unhealthy. In fact, I eat it almost every day. I sprinkle a few spoonfuls on top of my oatmeal every morning. It adds a nice delicious flavor and crunchy bite to my oats. If you’re going to eat granola, why not make your own? I have tried out tons of different recipes and have found this to be the best tasting, and best in nutrition. I got this recipe from the Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno. Her recipe book is unbelievable. I would highly recommend purchasing this book for more eat clean recipes.

Dry Ingredients  (You can buy all these ingredients at the bulk barn)

1 cup organic rye flakes

1 cup organic oat flakes (rolled oats)

1 cup organic kamut flakes

1 cup organic wheat flakes

1 cup raw, sliced, unsalted almonds

½ cup unsalted sunflower seeds

¼ cup sesame seeds

Coating Mixture Ingredients:

½ cup brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup olive oil

1 tsp best-quality vanilla

¼ cup organic honey

At the End

½ cup sultana raisins

½ cup dried cranberries

Preparation:

Preheat over to 300 F. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients until evenly distributed. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, place all coating mixture ingredients. Gently warm contents and stir until honey is dissolved.

Pour liquid coating mixture over dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Using a large wooden spoon or clean bare hands mix well until all ingredients are coated.

Spread granola onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Baking time is 40 minutes, buy you can’t walk away from the oven. You need to stir the granola every so often with wooden spoon so everything gets nicely toasted.

Transfer baked granola to a cooling rack and sprinkle with raisins and cranberries (or other dried fruit- I use chopped dates). Let cool completely. When cool, transfer to an airtight container.  Keeps in your cereal cupboard for one week. You can freeze it too! I usually 4x the recipe and freeze in airtight bags.

Makes 7 Cups of cereal

Nutritional value per one-cup serving

Calories 340

Calories from Fat 140

Protein 12 g

Carbs 41 g

Dietary Fiber 8g

Sugars 1 g

Fat 15 g

Sodium 14 mg 

Pour 1 cup of Skim milk, over 1 cup of Granola, and serve for breakfast.  This will fuel your body properly and keep you full for hours. Enjoy :-)