Snacks

I’m baaaaaaaack! Ok I know it has been a while since my last post! Summer vacations always turn into a beautiful madhouse filled with vacays, weddings, oh and if you’re like us, redoing your kitchen and bathrooms because they haven’t been updated since the 80s, AND getting a new job! Hello to another year of teaching some awesome munchkins!

And you know what that means, right? Packing lunches! I’ve had a lot of moms come up to me since I started this site telling me how they have no time to be in the kitchen. I totally get it. My sister has 3 kids and geez, it’s a struggle! You can barely get a minute to yourself, let alone 30 to prepare a meal in the kitchen.

There’s also students, constantly-stuck-in-traffic busy workers, and tons of other people who struggle to find time to make food at home. Again, totally been in that boat.

But seriously, that’s one of the reasons I started this thing. I want to be able to include food and lifestyle changes that’ll help people with dietary restrictions and time limitations.

So I’m sharing my beloved granola recipe. It’s a great snack, can be made vegan, nut-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar free. And it still tastes like food even without all the stuff. Yummy, sweet, scrumptious food. Best of all, you can easily make this in under 20 minutes. (14 minutes is my personal record so far- and that includes actual baking time!)

How’d it come about? So there I was, craving something sweet again, but I’m also a self-proclaimed health nut, so what was a girl to do?

I thought back to a San Francisco trip I made where we found this cute little organic place that served smoothie bowls. Right up my alley. I make those things all the time. But they topped their bowls with granola and, I thought, what a great addition! It adds that bit of necessary crunch and flavor to give your mouth a fun little taste party.

So of course I went online soon after to research some brands of this food that I hadn’t eaten in years. What did I find? Nothing too great. Even the organic granola brands contained preservatives. *womp.* So I thought, how hard could this be to make at home?

The answer: Not hard at all!

If you’ve been on my Facebook page, you may have seen my healthy green smoothie bowl topped with homemade granola. Bomb dot com (ok I know the cool kids don’t say that anymore but it just seemed so fitting). That’s just one of the many ways you can enjoy this delicious treat!

I’ve also used it as a topping for my apple crisp, as cereal in my almond milk, as a to-go snack (which I, admittedly, can finish half a bag of in minutes), and so many other things! You’re going to loveee it!

So that’s what I’m sharing today: homemade granola. (*Stuffs a handful in mouth*)

I’ll also show you ways to make this gluten-free, refined sugar free, vegan, and nut-free.

Let’s break down some of the key players of this granola recipe.

Rolled Oats! Although I don’t have a severe gluten allergy, I love me some gluten-free oats. My go to brand is this one because it’ a nice big bag and they’re deeeeeelicious! There’s tons of benefits for gluten-free rolled oats like its dietary fiber and it’s great lowering your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol due to its antioxidants. Regular rolled oats contain fiber and are also healthy and great for digestion.

Ground cinnamon: This spice has a TON of benefits. It’s loaded with nutrients, is anti-microbial, and can even be beneficial for lowering blood sugar levels.

Pure Maple Syrup: I use 100% pure, grade B (when I can find it) organic maple syrup because it has the most benefits. It’s actually my favorite sugar replacement. Touted as a guilty pleasure atop waffles and pancakes, maple syrup actually has minerals like zinc and manganese and is a great natural alternative to refined and artificial sweeteners. If you can find organic Grade B maple syrup.. get it! I like this one because it’s super yummy and it comes in a glass bottle (no need to worry about BPA and I mean, let’s be real, doesn’t everything just taste better when it’s in glass?! Just me? Maybe!)

Nuts: I’ll just say it. I love nuts. I use them in so many of my desserts and as a topping in several meals. Different types of nuts have different benefits. The two I use in this granola are almonds and pecans because the flavors work well with the maple syrup and offer the perfect little crunch in each bite. They’re a great source of protein, healthy fat, omega-3s and are loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals.

Seeds: I try to incorporate pumpkin and sunflower seeds into my recipes whenever I can because they’re loaded with iron, which is something you really need when you’re anemic (like me!). You can use them in place of (or in addition to) nuts and get that extra boost of protein, vitamins and minerals. Oh and they’re delicious!

Try it out! It’s fun, it’s easy, if you have little ones at home -get them involved! Best of all, you can totally customize this recipe!

Here’s how I did it:

Set your oven to 350 degrees F.

You start by mixing together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl first: rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, and your seeds and/or nuts.

Then you’re going to mix your wet ingredients in a separate bowl. After you’ve mixed together the maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract, begin adding it in to the bowl with the dry ingredients.

Mix well! You want to make sure that all the dry ingredients are coated with the wet mixture. You’ll notice your granola becoming a bit browner.

Spread granola mix onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Be sure to spread it evenly in a single layer.

Put your granola mix into the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, depending on your oven. You should notice it starting to brown, then start flipping it over so the other side can brown as well. Leave it in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes (check on it! Burnt granola is just not as good hehe).

Be sure to take it out and let it cool for about 10 minutes off of the hot rack/pan you used in the oven.

Warning: it’s going to smell magical, but make sure you wait that ten minutes! I mean you’ll really have to try to keeping your hands outta this bowl 😉

Less than 20 fun minutes in the kitchen, and you’ve got yourself a great, versatile snack that’ll last a couple weeks when stored in a glass jar!

Enjoy this yumminess and let me know if you customized it to your taste/dietary restrictions! =)