I did it! I made homemade granola on request from my 5 year old. He’s my cereal addict, and can burn through a box of Cascadian Farm Oats & Honey Granola in a few days. At nearly $5 per box, it adds up. But more troubling to me, in our new Real Food way of eating, are the added sugars and maltodextrin (seriously, tell me you cook with maltodextrin?!)
Despite being certified organic, this cereal is neither real, nor all that healthy (so much sugar!)
As we use up our processed/packaged foods, I’m having to make things from scratch. I used this recipe for my granola, but ended up modifying it a bit since my son is allergic to nuts and seeds. I added an extra half a cup of oats, and omitted the nuts/seeds. I also used coconut oil in place of the butter, since my son is also allergic to milk. (I plan to make another batch loaded with those goodies, for me to eat!)
Want the truth? It is good! It isn’t as sweet as the boxed granola, but both of my cereal eating kids like it. You can taste the subtle coconut oil flavor, but it isn’t overwhelming. The cinnamon is the strongest flavor. Also, this took minutes to prepare (but stays in the oven a long time.) The only negative was heating up my kitchen on a hot day.
Making the granola felt like going up the next step on our real food journey. I’m already wondering what next store bought staple will be replaced. I’m also stuck on what to do about our store bought “O’s” cereal. I’m buying the Whole Foods 365 brand — its organic, and pretty clean but does have added sugar. I suspect I will phase it out soon.
Please share your favorite granola recipes. I am excited to try new versions!
Snowflakes In January 