Homemade Granola

Okay so there is this preconception that granola is just healthy, right? Throw some granola on some yogurt and it's healthy. That really isn't true at all. Most packaged granola and granola bars are HORRIBLE for you! They are full of sugar and fat. some of those granola bars have 20g of sugar! That is almost half of what you need in a whole day. Plus most of them have hardly any additional nutritional value. Granola is a great source of energy because it is high in carbs. It is good before a workout or a long hike. But in general, having a bunch of granola is not healthy. This homemade granola recipe has extra protein and low sugar. It is still great to add with yogurt or have in the morning for some long lasting energy. But remember that you need to maintain portion control with foods that are high carb. You can also adjust this recipe with different flavors of protein, nuts and spices. In the fall I use pumpkin puree instead of apple sauce, pumpkin spice, cinnamon protein and pumpkin seeds instead of almonds.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 C old fashioned oats

4 T flax seed

4 T chia seeds

1 T cinnamon

1/2 C almonds

2 scoops protein powder of choice

4 T apple sauce

4 T honey

4 T walden farms calorie free syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

3 T coconut oil

1 C water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together all the dry ingredients (first section) in a large bowl. Get all the wet ingredients into a small saucepan, then add protein powder. Cook on med to med-high heat till bubbling. continuously whisk it to get everything incorporated. If you do not whisk it all in at first, the whey protein will clump. Once it is bubbling, add it to the bowl with the dry and mix thoroughly. When everything is mixed, line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and cook at 10 min increments. It may be too wet to lay evenly at first, that is okay. Just spread it out as best as you can. Every 10 min take it out and break it apart and move it around with a spatula. It will take about 35 to 40 minutes to be all the way done. When it is golden and there isn't much moisture left, let it cool on a wire rack. Put in a sealed container and you're done!

Macros (18 servings total)

1 serving: 154 cal, 17 g carbs (3.6 g fiber, .4 g sugar), 7.3 g fat, 6.4 g protein

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