Homemade Granola

A nutrient-dense alternative to commercial processed cereal is homemade granola. It has whole-grain oats, less sugar, and provides extra minerals and vitamins based on what additional ingredients are in it, such as sunflower seeds, almonds, dates, etc. But when a box of the unhealthy Lucky Charms are $2.99 and a small bag of granola is $4.99, for university students on a tight budget it's hard to stay on track and that $2.99 starts to look pretty good. There is a third option, however, if you make your granola at home you're not only saving money but you can control what you put into the recipe. That means no extra added sugar or mystery ingredients you can't pronounce. Here is a quick homemade granola recipe you can make a batch of on Sunday nights and throw in your morning yogurt or just carry with during the day for a snack. Everything I used was what I had on hand, you can make it however you like with various nuts, seeds, and dried fruit, be creative!

Ingredients:

3 cups (710 mL) rolled oats

1/2 cup (118 mL) dried cranberries

1/4 cup (59 mL) sunflower seeds

4 Tbsp (59 mL) Hemp seeds

3/4 cup (177 mL) honey

4 Tbsp (59 mL) olive oil (you can use other vegetable oils on hand)

1 Tbsp (15 mL) cinnamon

1 Tbsp (15 mL) pure vanilla extract

Directions:

In a bowl combine the oats, cranberries, cinnamon, and seeds.

Give a quick stir and toss onto a sheet pan and then place in to an oven at 375F (191C) degrees for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the oats are toasted, pull out and combine with the honey, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir well so it's evenly coated and put back in the oven, this time lower the temperature to 250F (121C) for another ten minutes or until the granola is crispy and brown. Let cool and enjoy!