Homemade Granola

 

This is it.  This is all that's left of my lovely batch of granola from last week.

I have been eating this everyday for breakfast, and sometimes as a snack too, since I made it last week.  YUM!

In the whole process of trying to be healthier, I have been running pretty consistently and really watching the balance of food that I eat.  So, I've been working on lowering my fat intake and raising my protein intake.  And though this granola doesn't really have much protein in it, I've been eating it mixed into fat free (very high protein) yogurt with some fruit (I've had strawberries and apples on hand lately).  O. MY.  I could eat these yogurt parfaits for the rest of my life!  Sometimes it's all I can do to keep from eating two a day!  They are soooo good!  And I have discovered Publix's fat free vanilla yogurt, and it is to die for!  Delish!

Long story short:  I LOVE GRANOLA!!!

But who wants to pay $4 a box for a teensy little bit of it?!   Not me!  So, I've tried out a couple of different recipes, but I find a common factor.  Granola is pretty high calorie.  I mean, it's all carbs, so it makes sense.  But it can also have a lot of fat, so I try to look for variations that won't have much oil or sugar in them to keep the fat content down.  And on Pinterest (of course), I stumbled across this one!

Enjoy!

Granola {without oil}
Very slightly adapted from Cooking Classy
Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon water
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup dried berries (raisins, craisins, etc.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Line a metal 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, toss oats and almonds together.  Set aside.
3. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently.  Once boiling, continue for one minute, stirring constantly.
4. Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda.  Whisk until foamy, just a few seconds.
5. Pour the hot mixture over the oat mixture and stir to coat evenly.
6. Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
7. Bake at 300 degrees for 35-40 minutes, removing every 15 minutes to stir the mixture around so that it cooks evenly.
8. Remove from oven, mix in dried fruit (I used half raisins and half Craisins.  Yum!).
9. Allow mixture to cool before storing in an airtight container.

So, if you are still buying granola cereal at the store, STOP!  It is so easy to make yourself, and you can control the ingredients and amount of fat!  And it's a million times cheaper!

So now, I'm trying to convince myself that I do not need to walk into the kitchen and eat that bowl of granola!  Hehe!

But, I'm off to get my hair cut for my brother's wedding which is coming up soon!  And tomorrow, the beach to work on my tan!  Happy wonderful Friday night!!!!