Pantry Granola
During this slow season for N's work, we are on a tight tight tight budget. One thing I never really budget for is food. I love food, I love GOOD food and think its important, so I spend a lot of money every week to fill our cupboards. This past weekend, I went grocery shopping with thrift on my mind. (And spent a mere $24 instead of upwards of $50...go me!)
Since I run, I need a good breakfast, which is especially important right after a morning run. One thing that works well for me is granola with lots of nuts for protein. For what it is though, granola is ridiculously expensive. Why is that? The cheaper granolas have sugar or brown sugar as the second ingredient...not what I'm looking for. After looking at the prices and comparing labels, I said "Screw it, I'll just make my own". Sigh...I say that a lot.
When I got home I decided I would make granola from what I could dig up from the cupboard. This is what I came up with, and I have to say, it is pretty tasty! The base is oats, then lots of nuts, some fun stuff, top off with a little oil, sweetener and maybe some juice. I know people do all sorts of complicated things for granola, but this is easy, yummy, full of protein, has little sugar, and was practically free since I didn't buy one special ingredient.
This is what I did for my Pantry Granola:
Put a bunch of old fashioned oats in a bowl.
Cut up a bunch of nuts, or leave them whole, whatever you prefer. I added pine nuts, walnuts, pecans and sunflower seeds. It's what I had on hand.
Poured in some coconut, unsweetened.
Threw in some chia seeds, still contemplating why I bought those months ago.
Found an orange in the fridge and took a few swipes of the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut that up small and added it to the mix.
Found some sub-par almost dried up dates in the back of the fridge and cut them up small.
Poured on a bit of veggie oil (just a few tablespoons), a healthy amount of maple syrup, and a few glugs of orange juice.
Sprinkled on a little salt.
Stir, and baked at 325 for about 30-40 minutes on a baking sheet, stirring a few times. I put it on parchment paper to bake because I had that on hand. When done, the granola should be dry and lightly browned.
Please excuse the cell phone pictures. It's what I had on hand! :)
I've been eating it all week with blueberries N and I picked this summer and froze, with milk.
I hope this inspires you to take a peek in your pantry and create something!
Since I run, I need a good breakfast, which is especially important right after a morning run. One thing that works well for me is granola with lots of nuts for protein. For what it is though, granola is ridiculously expensive. Why is that? The cheaper granolas have sugar or brown sugar as the second ingredient...not what I'm looking for. After looking at the prices and comparing labels, I said "Screw it, I'll just make my own". Sigh...I say that a lot.
When I got home I decided I would make granola from what I could dig up from the cupboard. This is what I came up with, and I have to say, it is pretty tasty! The base is oats, then lots of nuts, some fun stuff, top off with a little oil, sweetener and maybe some juice. I know people do all sorts of complicated things for granola, but this is easy, yummy, full of protein, has little sugar, and was practically free since I didn't buy one special ingredient.
This is what I did for my Pantry Granola:
Put a bunch of old fashioned oats in a bowl.
Cut up a bunch of nuts, or leave them whole, whatever you prefer. I added pine nuts, walnuts, pecans and sunflower seeds. It's what I had on hand.
Poured in some coconut, unsweetened.
Threw in some chia seeds, still contemplating why I bought those months ago.
Found an orange in the fridge and took a few swipes of the skin with a vegetable peeler, and cut that up small and added it to the mix.
Found some sub-par almost dried up dates in the back of the fridge and cut them up small.
Poured on a bit of veggie oil (just a few tablespoons), a healthy amount of maple syrup, and a few glugs of orange juice.
Sprinkled on a little salt.
Stir, and baked at 325 for about 30-40 minutes on a baking sheet, stirring a few times. I put it on parchment paper to bake because I had that on hand. When done, the granola should be dry and lightly browned.
Please excuse the cell phone pictures. It's what I had on hand! :)
I've been eating it all week with blueberries N and I picked this summer and froze, with milk.
I hope this inspires you to take a peek in your pantry and create something!