We had book club at Heather’s house last night. I met Heather about a year ago at a free wellness talk. About gracefully surviving menopause. (It seems this is actually possible.)
Heather is one of those people who radiates calm. She teaches yoga, cleans her house with essential oils, eats goji berries and puts squares of kelp in her soup for extra nutrition. I want to be like Heather.
Last night on the counter in Heather’s kitchen, where we gathered before our discussion to snack, sip wine, and laugh, I saw it. Sticking out of a grocery sack. A box of Lucky Charms cereal. I immediately assumed it was for one of her kids – or her husband. I can relate to that. We can’t force all of our eating goals on our family. At least not all of the time.
But what if SHE ate the Lucky Charms once in a while? What if Heather binged on a big bowl full when no one was looking? I can REALLY relate to that.
Sometimes we just want something sweet and crunchy and NOW. Obviously the goal would be to not even buy highly processed, sugary cereal in the first place, but mysteriously enough, those packages do occasionally hop off the shelf and into your cart when you’re just not paying attention!
So to give myself an option, I make a batch of this simple granola. I store it in Mason jars on the counter right there in plain view. The idea is that on the way to the cereal box in the pantry, I will see the sweet and crunchy granola on the counter and choose that instead. I eat it as is, with milk, or added to granola and maybe some fruit, like peaches or blueberries.
Simple Granola
Ingredients
- 7 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
- 1 cup flake coconut, unsweetened optional
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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Place only the oats in a roasting pan or other rimmed pan. You'll need to stir the mixture a few times in the oven, so just make sure it won't spill out.
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Heat the oats for 10 minutes. You'll be adding the other ingredients to the warm oats.)
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Combine the coconut, ground cinnamon, and any nuts or seeds (1 cup total) if using, in a bowl.
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Mix the liquid ingredients in another bowl. Stir well.
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After you remove the oats from the oven, stir in the dry ingredients and mix well.
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Drizzle the wet ingredients over the oats and toss to coat.
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Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
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The granola will still be "soft" until it cools. Stirring occassionally as it cools will keep it from sticking to the pan, or do what I like to do and spread it out on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper to cool.
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Store in airtight container. This basic recipe, with no add-ins, makes about 8 cups.
