Mornings are hard to get a wholesome meal in before going to work and school. I like to make a HUGE batch of granola every couple months and pair it with fruit and plain yogurt for a quick meal to go out the door.
Each time I make granola, I always change it up depending on what I have on hand in my pantry, but here is a basic recipe that you can sub whatever you’d like. The measurements are flexible depending on how you like your granola. Experiment and have fun!
As the MyPlate on a Budget poster says, I do suggest buying things in bulk. It’s more affordable! If your grocery store doesn’t sell items in bulk bins then wait until items are on sale, like Simple Truth nuts, and buy multiple bags at once. They store well, are great for protein rich snacks, and are easy to use in recipes like the one below.
Mix and Match Homemade Protein-rich Granola
Ingredients
- OATS: 42oz container of old fashioned oats (don’t use instant oats)
- NUTS: 3-4 cups of any combination of: sliced almonds, pecan pieces, walnut pieces, cashews, macadamia nuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, etc. (Simple Truth at Kroger has a great wide selection of these items, and when they are on sale in particular I buy in bulk since I make this so much.)
- FLOUR: 1-2 cups of any combination of: almond meal, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, amaranth seeds, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, coconut flour, quinoa flour, etc.
- SPICES: 2-4 tbsp any combination of: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc.
- OIL: 1/2 cup of any combination of: canola oil, olive oil, vegetable oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, walnut oil, coconut oil, etc. (whatever oil you use, I suggest having part of it a more mild oil like canola or vegetable because the more strong smelling oils will embed a strong flavor)
- SWEETENER: 1- 1 1/2 cup of any combination of: honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, rice syrup, molasses (I’d suggest using just a small amount of this since it’s very powerful!), etc.
- SALT: 1 tsp
- EXTRACT: 2-4 tsp of vanilla or almond extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 225˚F.
- In a large bowl mix together oats, nut combination, flour combination, and spices.
- In a short sided pot simmer oil, sweetener, salt, and extract over medium heat until the mixture starts to foam. Stir constantly. This takes about 2-5 minutes. You are just wanting everything to combine together.
- Pour sweetener mixture over oat mixture and mix until everything is coated. It should just be slightly coated.
- This is where it gets fun. Now taste the mixture prebake. You can add more spices, nuts, flours, etc. It’s all about experimentation. If you like yours sweeter than add more sweetener. Just mix everything together well.
- Bake for 20-45 minutes. After the first 20 minutes, check every 10 minutes and stir the granola. The outside tends to get dark quicker, so make sure when you stir it the outside gets moved to the middle. The granola should get slightly brown all over.
- Let cool and store in an airtight container.
*Full disclosure, through MyMagazine Sharing Network I was given some free samples of Simple Truth products.