Easy Healthy Granola Recipe

Breakfast was always where I would struggle to find something quick, easy and healthy to make whilst in my sleepy morning state. I used to buy granola but found the healthier ones that weren't full of sugar were very expensive for what they are so I decided to try making my own. I've been doing this for a month now and think i've gotten a pretty good basic recipe down.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of oats
• 1/2 of mixed seeds
• 1/2 of dried fruit
• 1/2 cup of dessicated coconut. (make sure it's unsweetened)
• 2 tbsp of chia seeds (optional) 
• 2-3 tbsp of honey, agave or pure maple syrup
• 2-3 tbsp of coconut oil (melted) or vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• pinch of salt

First you want to pre-heat your oven to around 150°C. Mix together all the dry ingredients apart from the dried fruit in a bowl; so the oats, seeds, cinnamon, salt and dessicated coconut. In a separate bowl melt your measure out your coconut oil and melt it in the microwave for around 30 seconds. To this bowl add your honey and vanilla and stir together. They won't combine together fully but just give them a quick mix. 

Once that's been mixed you want to add your wet ingredients to the dry and give it a good mix. Here you want to make sure that all the dry ingredients have been covered with the liquids. 

Once you've done this you can go and spread out the mixture onto two baking trays. I've covered these with grease proof paper to prevent them from sticking. You want to make sure the mixture is spread evenly so that it bakes well in the oven. Then you want to place the trays in the oven for around 15-20 minutes. Normally I find with my oven 16 minutes is the perfect time; just keep an eye on them so they don't burn. You'll be able to tell when it's done as the oats will look a lot more golden.

As I mentioned above you don't want to add your dried fruit with the rest of the mixture as it will get very tough and not very nice. Instead once you've taken the trays out of the oven pop your fruit on top whilst the granola cools. 

Once the granola has completely cooled you can put it in a air tight container and store in the cupboard. I've found this batch lasts me about a week and I love having it with yogurt and fresh berries for breakfast. Now that i've made this a few times it takes hardly any time to do and tastes amazing. You can really add anything you like in the mix; for each addition add about 1/2 cups worth. 

I definitely would recommend making your own granola as it is a lot more healthier and cheaper than buying the store bought version which can be full of added sugar. What do you like to make for your breakfast?