Dear God, forgive me for skipping church on Sunday to make granola. Granola AND muffins, if you’re keeping tabs. I looked at Mark on Sunday morning and said, “I’m going to play hooky this week to get things done, but I think you should take the girls.”
He obliged. I blasted Pandora and the time flew by in the blink of an eye.
I can’t even seem to recall what weekends (or evenings) without kids looked like. I used to blog EVERY day, meaning I was in the kitchen a TON. I would spend entire weekend days bouncing from one recipe to the next, running my dishwasher no less than a couple of times. Per day. I truly can’t remember what days like that were like…or what we did with all of the food.
That 90 minutes I had on Sunday? It was a gift. It was self-care. It was productive. It all so many things.
School starts in less than a week and for the first time in a few YEARS, my girls will be eating breakfast at home every day. Even this summer they had breakfast provided at camp. The past 2 years, breakfast was provided at school and they (often) partook. And same for lunch, except they ALWAYS ate lunch at school. I haven’t packed a lunch in 2+ years!
I’m not going to lie, between free breakfast and lunch going away, AND having a vegetarian-other-than-chili to feed, things are going to get a bit more complicated for me. I had pinned a few recipes I wanted to have prepped and ready to go for the start of school and subsequently, this recipe below is doubled. It makes a lot because it can keep a long time.
Granola: the gift that keeps on giving.
I’ve been LOVING fruit and yogurt parfaits made at home and my favorite store-bought granola from Aldi has been out of stock, so this was just timely and wise. And man, oh man. The recipe is everything you want from a granola: salty, sweet, crunchy, a bit chewy, nutty, tender fruit. Oh yes, it has it all. Enjoy!
Sweet and Salty Fruit and Nut Granola
Sweet and salty, crunchy and totally addicting! Add to yogurt, sprinkle on ice cream, devour with milk, or snack-on as is...there's no un-fun way to enjoy this granola!
Ingredients
- 8 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup shelled pistachios
- 1 cup pecan halves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, sunflower seeds, pistachios, pecans, and cinnamon; toss to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup, honey, salt, and vanilla until well-combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix until fully incorporated. Divide onto the prepared baking sheets and spread into an even layer.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, stirring halfway through and spreading into an even layer once again before returning to the oven.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, about 45 minutes. Mix in the raisins, apricots, and dried cranberries.
- Store granola in an air-tight container for 1-2 weeks, or in the freezer for 3-6 months.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Cookie and Kate who adapted from The Kitchn
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1/2 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 277Total Fat: 15.7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 123mgCarbohydrates: 30.8gFiber: 3.7gSugar: 13.6gProtein: 5.0g
LOVE oats and granola and granola-y things!
- To-Go Breakfast Bars
- Berry Cherry Almond Granola
- Cran-Apple Spice Granola
- Granola Bars with Bananas, Cranberries, and Pecans
- No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Cups
Be well,
