My Granola Recipe

I've been asked by a few people to post my recipe for granola. The great thing about granola is that you can make it using whatever you have- and switch it up every time. I happen to love the most recent batch I made this past week- and quite shockingly I made it my mission to MEASURE and WRITE DOWN the ingredients - something that I don't do often! There are a lot of ingredients in here- if you don't have them - don't worry- it will taste good no matter what- that's the great thing about granola!

I start with 4 cups of oats- not the quick cooking kind- in a big bowl.
To that you will be adding 1/2 a cup of each of these:

• raw pumpkin seeds
• sunflower seeds
• unsweetened coconut
• pecans
• almonds
• walnuts
• peanuts (not every one's favorite in granola- but it happens to be one of mine! As long as you have 2 cups of nuts you can adjust accordingly! This is for you - so throw in whatever you like!!)

Then add 1/4 c each of:

• Wheat bran
• Wheat germ
• flax seed

Because the last three ingredients are very flaky it's really important to add enough liquids  to have the ingredients stick together. I add between 1/3-1/2 c of olive oil, and 3 tablespoons of honey.  Quick tip: In order to not have to clean up really sticky honey out of my tablespoon measure- and to get a more accurate amount of it- I spray my tablespoon measure with cooking oil- or add a bit of olive oil just to coat it - and then measure the honey. It is a lot easier to clean- and I don't waste any of the honey- which is always a good thing to me!

I loveeeeee cinnamon so i happen to add a lot of it- between 1/8 c and 1/4 c actually! Cinnamon is great for eating healthy because apparently it is one of those spices that will make your body feel fuller for longer. Which is good if you have long breaks between meals! Also, according to Eat Shrink and Be Merry- it stimulates digestion and is great for anyone with diabetes! So with cinnamon- the more the merrier!

Then I mix it all together in a large bowl, and spread it out on a big baking sheet that I sprayed with non stick cooking spray. I bake it at 285 for 1 hour, turning it every fifteen minutes so that nothing burns. 

Some of you may be thinking- why make granola at home anyway- I can find it at the grocery store- and yes- you are right. However- they usually put in a lot of junk to make that granola stay good- and taste good- even though it doesn't need it. Stuff like corn syrup, sugar, and bad for you oils. If you can make it at home yourself- and see all that goes into it- why wouldn't you?

It really is not a lot of work and lasts for a long time- even with my husband and I who both eat granola every morning. If you don't eat a lot of it in your home- store it the fridge or freezer and use it slowly- that will give you a bit more time! 

Another hint: I also store all nuts in the freezer. There is nothing worse than nuts that have no flavor!

There it is folks! That's all there is to it! Let me know how it goes:)