One thing Janice loves to buy is granola and there are so many out there to choose from but many come with a hefty price-tag so she decided to make her own!
Ingredients
- 250g rolled oats
- 50g dried cranberries or raisins
- 40g pumpkin seeds
- 40g flaked almonds
- 40g cashew nuts
- 40g whole almonds
- 2-3 tablespoons cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
After a long weekend in Berlin which consisted of one too many Steins, sausages and I would like to say strudel, but I’m attempting a month without sweets and chocolate, so it was purely savoury food indulgence and a great one at that!
Now it’s back to work and back to 'being good' and not just because my jeans feel extremely tight, but because I blew the budget over the weekend! As with everyone, I find when you’re trying to eat healthily, it’s so much more expensive than if you were to dine out on the euro-saver meal every night.
One thing I LOVE to buy is granola. Turns out, it’s the easiest thing in the world to make and you can rustle-up a decent-sized batch for about €2 – bargain!
This is great to have after a good work-out, I love it with some cold almond milk or a good dollop of Greek yoghurt. The only problem really is restraining yourself from eating the entire thing in one go – it has been done!
You can adapt the ingredients to suit your tastes – so use whichever nuts, seeds or dried fruit you like yourself. I did try making it without honey and just loads of cinnamon but it really needs something sweet in it, so even a squeeze of honey makes a difference.
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C.
- In a large baking tray spread out your oats and add in the two spoons of coconut oil. They will be solid at this stage but don’t worry, after about 5 minutes in the oven it will melt and you can mix it around. Sprinkle your cinnamon over the oats and spread evenly.
- Place it in the oven and after about 5 minutes mix everything around on the tray to make sure the oil is well mixed in. Leave in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, checking it along the way.
- I place my nuts, seeds and raisin into a pan on a medium to low heat with a small bit of coconut oil and cook them separately until they are nicely toasts – not burnt! When they are done, place them into a large bowl and wait until the oats are ready.
- Remove the tray from the oven and mix the oats with your nut/fruit mix. Add in your honey while it’s warm so it melts in together.
- The granola will last for a few weeks when stored in an air-tight container, if it lasts that long!
Follow Janice’s food adventures on instagram @janicebutler81 and @tasteirelandmag
