Granola is a tasty topper for yogurt bowls and a great snack around your workouts. This homemade version is simple, healthy and much cheaper than store-bought options.
Ingredients for 4 cups:
-2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
-1 cup nuts and/or 1/2 cup seeds (we used pecans and pumpkin seeds but you can freestyle with walnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds)
-1/4 cup melted coconut oil (this makes the oats taste crispy - you can also sub out for a nut butter for extra flavour and chunkiness)
-1 tsp himalayan pink sea salt
-1/4 tsp cinnamon (ceylon cinnamon is great for controlling blood sugar)
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 cup pitted dates and/or homemade banana chips and/or mashed banana in the wet mixture for real food based sweeteners (that also add a delicious chewy/crunchy texture when baked) or a few drops of stevia/monk fruit for plant-based 0 cal sweeteners
Optional add in:
-1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes or cacao nibs
Directions:
1. Pre heat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine oats, nuts, seeds, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
3. Combine wet ingredients and mix until everything is well coated.
4. Pour granola onto lined pan and spread it into a THIN layer
5. Bake until lightly golden (about 20-25 mins). Half way through the process stir the granola so that it bakes evenly and press down on it with a spatula and add the coconut flakes so that they toast well.
6. Let the granola cool completely before touching. Since this recipe does not include sweeteners like honey or maple syrup that are traditionally used to make granola extra clumpy, following these steps are important if you want that clump but it tastes great either way!
We enjoy this granola mixed in dairy-free nut milk as a healthy cereal, as a topper for our yogurt bowls, or by the handful as a preservative and sugar free snack. Just be sure to measure out a serving to practice moderation with snack type foods and focus on majority of your intake on well-balanced meals!
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