Homemade Granola: Yum

So I always have a "be healthier" New Years Resolution. Who doesn't right? But this year while I was still thinking about "being healthy" (isn't that so specific :) I ran across this blog called Word of Wisdom Living. Immediatley I was impressed. It's mainly about eating healthier, but he also touches on exercise a bit. He has a weekly "goal" to help you be a little bit healthier and has so much great information. I have continued to love it and it has kept my New Year's resolution alive and helped to not only hone in on what exactly I want to do to be healthier, but I've also learned alot and am excited about it. (We even tried tofu for the first time this week--but don't let that scare you away. . . he doesn't really talk about tofu).  He reads lots of research studies and really knows a lot. But the thing I love most about his blog is that he doesn't make you feel dumb or bad about what you are doing. He just makes you want to be better. So, go read his blog. NOW! You'll love it.

Anyway, so on that note I've stopped buying "sugar cereal" for our breakfasts. Lately we've been eating a lot of bagels and fruit and granola. Homemade Granola. I called my mom and got her great recipe-which I have no idea where she got it from. But it's super flexible. Here it is.

Granola

7 1/2 cups rolled grains (oats, wheat, rye, barley, whatever you've got on hand--in the pictures I just did 6 cups of oatmeal and 1 1/2 cups of puffed millet-which isn't rolled at all-but you get my drift).
1 c. wheat germ (this makes it good and healthy :)
3/8 c. sesame seeds (didn't add because I didn't buy any-but I added 1/2 c. ground flax seeds instead)
Any other nuts or seeds you want to add  (peanuts, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, etc . . . )

For the "sauce"

1/2 c. honey
3/4 c. brown sugar (or just do it all honey and cut down to 1 c.)
1/2 c. oil (sunflower or other seed oils are healthiest, but I didn't have on hand so I just used canola)
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla

Heat oven to 225 degrees. Mix grains and seeds together. Mix the sauce together and pour over granola. Stir until evenly coated. Spread a thin layer across a baker's half sheet (I filled 2) and put in oven for 2 hours, stirring half way through.


If you want to add dried fruit once you are done and it's cooled that's yummy too. Really the best part about this recipe is the flexibility of what you can put in it.

enjoy!