Super Simple Granola
Breakfast and snacks can often be the some of the most challenging times to eat in eating disorder recovery. And even in every day life, breakfast and snacks often get pushed to the side with work, school, and other obligations. It’s all too easy to fall into a pattern of oversleeping and skipping breakfast, whether on purpose or intentional.
In my last blog post, I talked about the important of snacks. It’s equally important to provide your body with a satisfying, filling, balanced meal at breakfast before starting your day. We’ve all heard the phrase “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. And while it may not necessarily be the most important (all eating opportunities are equally important and necessary, none are better to include than others), it’s still crucial that we give our bodies fuel first thing in the morning so we’ve got the brain power and energy to go about the day.
Insert granola! Granola is one of my personal favorite breakfast foods. It’s super versatile, completes a meal quickly and with minimal effort, can be made ahead of time, and contains carbs, proteins, and fats to keep you full and satisfied. Some ideas for how you can use granola throughout the day or week:
On top of yogurt and fruit for a breakfast parfait
Added in or on top of muffins, pancakes, or waffles for some crunch
A topping for apple crisp, cobbler, or baked apples
On top of ice cream or pudding
A salty-sweet topping for salads
Grab a handful and eat it like trail mix
Add some milk and eat it like cereal, or mix it into your favorite cereal
This is my favorite granola recipe. It’s just the right amount of crunchy and chewy. It has a really nice deep flavor with the addition of the orange zest and maple syrup. Plus, when you bake it your whole house will smell amazing.
I originally got the recipe from this cookbook that I’ve had for ages, and I’ve adapted it over time to make it more my own. What I love about it is that as long as you have the oats as the base, you can truly add just about anything that sounds good in granola. I’ve even added some chocolate chips before, at the very end after the granola has cooled off- super tasty.
This time around, I wanted to see if coconut oil could be subbed for the butter to make a vegan option. And I’m happy to say that yes, it can! The coconut oil batch actually did a better job at forming clusters, so if you like granola with lots of big clusters, go the coconut oil route. I found the flavors of both versions to be about the same- equally yummy.
Super Simple Granola
Makes about 8 cups
Time: about 1 hour, mostly inactive baking time
Ingredients:
4 cups (400g) rolled oats
1.5 cups (170g) nuts of choice (walnuts or pecans work well)
1 cup (60g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup (~85g) dried fruit
Grated zest of 1 orange
1/3 c (85g) butter or coconut oil
1/2 c (120ml) maple syrup
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F/150 degrees C. Set out two rimmed baking sheets.
Combine oats, nuts, coconut, salt, dried fruit, and orange zest in a large mixing bowl.
Heat the butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat (or melt in the microwave) and stir in the maple syrup. Whisk until combined, then pour the mixture over the oat mixture and stir until everything is evenly coated.
Divide the mixture between the two baking sheets and spread into a thin layer.
Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the granola is toasty, golden brown and fragrant. You may want to rotate the pans halfway through cooking so they bake evenly.
Remove from oven and press down on the granola with a metal spatula (this helps create the clusters). Let cool completely, then enjoy!
Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
