Homemade Granola

Last night for dinner we had spaghetti and a salad....nothing new, so I didn't take any pictures. I have been so busy lately that I haven't really had time to make anything new. I did have a little free time last night to finally make some granola....YAY! I've been wanting cereal for over a week now, but didn't want store bought. To me there's no cereal better than homemade granola. So, here's a simple recipe.

4 cups oats

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup safflower oil

1/8 cup molasses

1/8 cup agave

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cup of dried fruit (I used cranberries and raisins)

Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl except for the dried fruit. Warm the molasses, agave, and oil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from heat, add the vanilla, and whisk together. Pour the warm mixture carefully over the dry ingredients. Mix together well, then pour onto a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, stirring carefully every 10 minutes to prevent burning. Let cool and then add your dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

You can use 1/4 cup of honey in place of the agave and molasses if you would like.

I also made some more chocolate chip peanut butter banana muffins last night. This time I used a 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and a half cup of walnuts....YUM!!

Do you ever get so busy that your eating takes the back burner? That's been me for the last week. At least I haven't been bored, but I am craving some good healthy food! :o)

~Peace~