Our family spent a week in London and a week in Paris and the food was great (watch for upcoming posts!). The only foods we really missed were Mexican food and our homemade granola. We make this granola every few weeks to keep it on hand for breakfasts and occasional snacks.
Unless you're baking, don't be afraid to tweak recipes you find in magazines, newspapers, online and in cooking shows to fit your preferences, use what you have on hand, or make them a little healthier. The recipe below is a modified version of Ellie Krieger's Nutty Granola recipe.
This healthy granola is nutrient rich, full of whole grains, unsaturated fats from the nuts, high in fiber, and a small dose of dried fruit for energy. The ground flax seed adds a little extra Omega 3 fatty acids (walnuts are also high in Omega 3). By the way, your flax seed needs to be ground to release these healthy fats! We don't add any additional fat so it is healthier than store-bought - and tastes WAY better! Make a batch on Sunday and you'll have healthy granola to sprinkle on yogurt and fruit for a delicious, nutritious way to start your days all week!
Homemade Healthy Granola Recipe
Ingredients
1 ½ cups of raw chopped nuts and seeds (a combination of three types of 1/2 cup each works well, such as walnuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, etc.)
3 cups of old fashioned oats (not instant; steel cut doesn’t work as well either)
½ cup pure maple syrup
½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, berries, etc.)
2 Tablespoons of ground flax seed
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray two large baking sheets with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, chopped nuts, seeds, maple syrup, dried fruit, ground flax seed, and salt.
- Mix well then pour out onto baking sheets and spread into a thin layer for even baking.
- Bake for 30 minutes (until golden brown), stirring every 10 minutes.
- Cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
