Granola At Home

With the warmer days here again we are all trying to get out more and becoming more active as we slowly awaken from our den like winter selves. In order to be more active we utilize more energy. For the vast majority of us that engages the need for better nutrition and healthier options. Growing up we all heard about the most important meal of the day. It is not always about when we eat but also what we eat that is important. One breakfast item that seems to be getting a lot of attention these days is granola.  It is not difficult to prepare a batch and know exactly what is in your granola as opposed to buying the store bought variety that often has hidden sugars and fats that may be less than desirable depending on your goals and needs.

Granola was one of the first breakfast cereals, but it was not always known as granola. Granula, a mixture of graham flour baked into sheets and then broken up into smaller chunks for consumption, was created way back in the 1860’s created by Dr. James C. Jackson. Roughly a decade later Dr. Harvey Kellog came out with his version of granula, called it granula, and then was sued by Dr. Jackson and forced the name change to the all too well known granola that we know of today. While granola may have never caught on for Dr. Kellog, another breakfast cereal did. In 1902 he came out with Corn Flakes. As the 20^th century wore on cereals became more commercialized and more sugar heavy. The 1960’s gave rise to the health and natural whole grain movement that has stayed with us to current day.   Granola was already invented, someone just had to rediscover it!

Granola, like many other foods, is an opportunity for creativity. There are ratios to use as guidelines but the end result can be as varied as boxes in the cereal aisle. Personalize your blend; chocolate, honey, even sugar crystals of any type can enhance your own creations. When it comes to nuts there are too many options to mention, pick a few of your favourite and blend them together. Dried fruit is another near staple in any granola mix, choose what you like and enjoy.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups oatmeal

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1/3 cup walnuts

4 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

3 Tbsp. dried cherries

3 Tbsp. olive oil.

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl
• Spread mixture evenly onto a baking tray.
• Bake at 350 F. for 10-15 min.
• Cool, break apart and serve or store in an air tight container.

Breakfast is important, but so is knowing what types of fuel best suit your needs. you can break needs into dietary needs and spiritual needs. You can live a very healthy life without ever touching a bar of chocolate but the enjoyment of something sweet as it gently melts on your tongue cannot be overstated. By the same token oatmeal may not be the best tasting carbohydrate going, but the amount of fibre helps keeps things moving in your day to day life.

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