Honey Berry Granola

Honey Berry Granola

So this is the third batch of homemade granola I have made in as many weeks.  I can't get enough.  It isn't as if this is anything novel or some big revelation, but I have just become reobsessed with an old favorite.  The basic recipe is really easy to alter and although I am sure most of you could figure it out yourself, I want to make sure to post all the different variations I make in case one of them appeals to you more than another.  This recipe was made with my daughter in mind who loves honey and berries, especially strawberries and blueberries.  But considering that it is still March here in PA (and actually snowing today), good quality fresh berries are still not very prevalent.  So like I do throughout the winter, we turn to dried, and in this case, freeze dried berries.  I wish I could find organic ones at my local stores, but sometimes even I go the conventional route and hope that by using very basic, unsweetened dried fruit I am winning half the battle. I used pure organic almond extract in this recipe as well since my son loves that flavor and added raw slivered almonds and sunflower seeds for protein and crunch.  The result is another amazing breakfast in a bowl that is my staple this week and has served me well through two mornings of intense working out.

Tropical Granola

Tropical Granola

This granola literally tastes like a tropical vacation in a bowl.  With a bit of crunch.  It is a variation on the more basic Maple Cinnamon Granola recipe I posted last week, but using coconut oil for the fat, coconut nectar for the sweetener and incorporating the tropical flavors of dried pineapple, unsweetened coconut flakes and raw macadamia nuts. The result is a very rich and hearty breakfast cereal that I would especially recommend for anyone who plans to work out post breakfast and wants something that will keep their energy levels high and their hunger at bay without feeling weighed down.  Because macadamia nuts are very soft and buttery I would not recommend roasting them along with the oat mixture (pecans and walnuts seem to withstand the roasting process a bit better).  I know that macadamia nuts can be pricey, but I found a good brand at my local store for less than $5, probably because they are completely unprocessed and have no added oil or salt.  So they are perfect for this recipe.  If possible, try to find dried pineapple with little or no added sugar as well as unsweetened, hopefully organic, coconut flakes.  The macadamia nuts alone are the nutritional all star in this recipe, with high amounts of mono unsaturated fats, fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, zinc and selenium.  They also contain many important B-complex vitamins such as niacin, thiamin, riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6).   So although you may feel like you are eating a bowl of paradise and indulging in something too good to be true, rest assured that this colorful granola is the perfect way to treat yourself at the beginning (or end) of a long, hopefully productive, day.

Maple Cinnamon Granola

Maple Cinnamon Granola

Granola is definitely one of my go to breakfasts, especially on mornings that I plan to workout and need something to sustain me for a couple of hours.  However, granola always seems to be up for debate as to whether it is healthy or not because although it is usually a great source of fiber and healthy fats it can also be very high in calories, fat and sugar.  This recipe gives you the option to adjust all that to your preference and decide how much sugar and fat you want to add.  I have to admit, as this recipe stands, it is a bit sweet for my taste, so I am sure the amount of maple syrup could be reduced, even by half, and it would still taste perfect.  I added in a lot of nuts as well, because I rely on them as protein and they usually prevent me from getting hungry for hours afterwards.  The dried blueberries are a healthy source of antioxidants and vitamins, although they also contain a lot of sugar.  But my kids love them and I love to see my kids eat what I bake, so I tossed them in at the end.  The result is an amazingly flavorful, indulgent breakfast that when served with some fresh fruit and a little organic milk, soy milk or Greek yogurt is a perfect way to start the day. 

* I like to top my serving of with a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds for an extra nutritional boost.

Granola Bars

Granola Bars

This recipe is long overdue.  One of my gym buddies has been asking me ever since I started this blog if I had a good recipe for granola bars.  I have made granola in the past and have a couple of good trail mix bar recipes, but hadn't yet put the two together.  The problem I find with homemade granola bars is that without adding excessive amounts of sugar, it is hard to get the bars to stick together well, especially when you want to mix in healthy additions like dried fruits and nuts.  Oats alone, when soaked in some combination of oil and syrup, hold together well, so if that is what you are looking for, feel free to replace all or some of the nuts, seeds and fruit in this bar with more oats.  You might get bars that hold their shape a bit better.  That being said, these granola bars are ridiculously delicious, full of high fiber and high protein ingredients and are sure to please both kids and adults.  My daughter wasn't happy that most of the chocolate chips in them melted when I mixed the ingredients together and at first refused to take a bite, but once I convinced her to just taste it, she was won over.  I promised her that the next time I make them I will put a few chocolate chips on the top before I bake them so they retain their shape and are visible.  These bars are so yummy and so simple to throw together that I am certain I will be making many variations in the future and promise to post my most successful creations.