17/06/15 - Granola Recipe

Recently, I've been on a bit of a health kick...which is a phrase that I wouldn't normally associate with myself.  Although my diet has never been particularly awful (expect for in the first year of uni but I certainly wasn't the only person living on pasta, chips and £1 shots) and I walk pretty much everywhere, I definitely have some bad habits.  For instance I'm not a big fan of any kind of exercise and I can happily eat a whole tube of Pringles in one sitting.  But by making a few easy changes to replace less healthy foods with better alternatives, I've found that I feel a lot happier, less groggy and I've been saving money.  However, breakfast was proving to be the most difficult meal to adapt.  No one eats salad for breakfast, and I definitely needed to steer away from my very bread-heavy morning routine.  And that's where this recipe comes in!

I'm not always a massive fan of cereal as I much prefer savoury food first thing in the morning, but this granola isn't overly sweet like a lot of cereals are.  It's a great way to satisfy any cravings that you might have throughout the day without reaching for unhealthy snacks, and of course it's a brilliant start to your day as its nice and substantial to keep you full through until lunchtime.  Despite being marketed as a healthy breakfast alternative, shop-bought granola tends to be loaded with processed sugar and other rubbish.  By making your own, you can control exactly what goes into your breakfast and tweak it according to taste.  I am by no means an expert on either nutrition or cooking so there are probably much healthier ways of making this (I've heard amazing things about the virtues of coconut oil versus any other kind, so maybe try that if you're particularly health conscious).  Everything else can be adapted depending on what you fancy or what you have in your cupboards!

What you'll need:

• 2 mugs of porridge oats
• 1 mug of roughly chopped nuts (I used walnuts, but almonds work too)
• 1/3 mug of oil 
• 2/3 honey or maple syrup (or both)
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 2 mugs of dried fruit

How to do it:

--Mix the dry ingredients (apart from the fruit) in a large bowl, add the oil and honey and stir well until everything is combined.

--Spread the mixture on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper.

--Bake until light-to-golden brown, keep a close eye on it and turn regularly to prevent burning.  I would say it normally takes about twenty five minutes to get a fairly consistent bake.

--Let it cool a little on the tray.  When you remove it from the oven, don't worry if some parts seem underdone or still quite moist; the mixture will dry out as it cools and form into little oaty clusters.

--Return to the bowl and mix in the fruit.

And there you have it!  Stored in an airtight container, this should keep pretty well and it's so delicious that I suspect you'll eat it fast enough that you won't need to worry about its shelf-life.  The measurements listed above normally make just about the right amount to fill this jar (which I believe has a capacity of 1.8 litres) and I find that this lasts approximately a week - and that's with two people having it for breakfast every day and for the occasional snack.

Let me know in the comments how you would adapt this recipe to suit your tastes and also if you have any go-to healthy recipes!