Go-Go-Go-Granola

We all live in a super busy world where conveniece is all on the top of our priority list. Which unfortunately leads to one poor food choice after another. But with just the slightest bit of effort this downhill snowball affect can be reversed. 

Who often walks down the cereal isle- takes a look at the granola and thinks "Ooooh that looks healthy?"... You're not alone in this thinking, however 9 times out 10 you're thinking is innacurate. Have you ever read the ingredients list? Granola is one of those mythical health foods, or as I like to call them "unhealthy, health foods." Most store bought granola has extremely high levels of processed sugar, it's typically in the top 3 on the ingredients list. We want high fiber, low sugar. Well, shoot...how do we fix this dilemma? 

MAKE YOUR OWN!

Take control of what you're putting into your body by spending a little time at the beginning of your week preparing your snacks and meals. I promise it is simple, and in my opinion tastes way better! Most of these ingredients I have on hand at all times anyways, and the possibilities and add-ins are endless. Feel free to experiment with substitutions you might have in your pantry. This recipe makes a lot, and has a couple week long shelf life if kept in airtight container. It's easy to bag up and bring with you to snack on by itself, to eat with some milk, or topped on some greek yogurt. My kids love it too!

Ingredients:

4 cups of rolled oats

1 cup of almonds

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup of flax seeds

1/2 cup of chopped pecans

1 TBSP of cinnamon

1/4 cup of unsweetend apple sauce

1/4 cup of coconut oil

1/2 cup of honey

1 TSP of vanilla

1 cup of dried fruit of choice (I used half craisins, half dried blueberries)

Directions:

Combine first 6 dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the next 4 wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and toss until evenly coated. Pour granola onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put it into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Once the granola is golden brown and no longer super sticky (as shown in the picture below), pull out and allow to cool.

 Then toss in your dry fruit of choice, and either store or devour.  
Have I mentioned that your house will smell DELICIOUS?! Oh yeah, just a small added bonus to making your own!

Granola is an excellent source of fiber, keeping you satiated for longer periods of time, which makes it an excellent choice for breakfast and snacks.  And this recipe also has all the health benefits that come from eating healthy natural sugars from honey, and healthy natural fats from coconut oil, nuts, and seeds...making it a perfectly clean source of sustainable energy. We are going hiking tomorrow in Snow Canyon, and you better believe I'll be bagging up my granola and snacking on it throughout the day to keep me trecking!