Quick + Easy Homemade Granola

Here in the Loewen house we eat lunch between 11:30-12 most days.

Meals are super important because, well, we love to eat and we get hungry.

The other day it was about 11:20 and it was a special treat as the hubs was home on a lunch break with us.

I was so over PB + J for the kids and had made a ton of cheese quesadillas, so I needed something quick and easy.

Granola to the rescue!

We had a bunch of yogurt in the fridge because in addition to appreciate food in general, us Loewen's love us some yogurt.

I've made several granola variations in the past - stove-top, roasted, granola bars, granola balls, etc.

I just wanted a simple, tasty granola to sprinkle on top of our yogurt that didn't take an hour to make (as a lot of them do) and also wasn't filled with a ton of sugar.

This was a nice treat, and the kids {and Jason} loved it!

The granola varieties in the store are crazy-expensive, and although tasty have a ton of sugar.

So, do yourself a favor: save a bunch of money, make a healthy option and try this granola out!

{If you do like super-sweet granola, feel free to 'up' the sweetness factor}

Recipe adapted from: Elizabeth Rider

This makes two baking sheets of granola, enough to last our family of 5 for a few days.

4 cups regular {not quick cooking} rolled oats

1 cup chopped nuts {I used almonds but feel free to use walnuts, pecans...whatever suits your fancy}

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds {can sub with raw sunflower seeds - we get ours from a local natural foods store}

4 Tbsp. maple syrup {or honey if you prefer - raw honey being the healthiest option for honey}

2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl with your hands {messy, yes...but it mixes everything together perfectly}. The coconut oil can be a soft solid or liquid depending on the temperature in your house. Mine was a soft solid. Really work in the coconut oil so that there aren't any big chunks left.

Spread granola mix on 2 rimmed baking/cookie sheets, and bake for 10-20 minutes depending how toasted you prefer your granola. I did this batch for 10 minutes as we needed lunch in a snap, but next time I'll probably bake it closer to 15-20 minutes.

Eat it warm or cool, but make sure it's cooled down before you store it in an air-tight container.

Eat as a cereal with milk and try with a variety of yogurts! 

Yum, yum!

Use your imagination and try different varieties! You could add: 

-Cinnamon

-Almond extract vs. vanilla

-Dried raisins or cherries vs. cranberries

Whatever your heart desires!

Enjoy and leave me a comment on what way you'll be making your granola. 

Through Unspeakable Joy,

Laura