So just over a year ago I finally achieved a long term goal of mine – to make my own granola! I say ‘I’ because actually it is so simple that my 9 year old daughter did it! For me, living a resourceful life isn’t about pretty pictures on Instagram – it’s about overcoming the ‘that’s way too complicated and time consuming mental ‘block’ that we have about doing things sometimes the less convenient way. But the benefits are great!
But I don’t have time…Stay with me…I honestly have no spare time at all, but I manage these and long term, they save me time!
There are so many pluses to making things from scratch at home, that it is really worth investing that little bit of time in making it ‘routine’. Having made my own granola for over a year now, I can confirm that in this case these are as follows:
- A Money Saver – it’s so much cheaper – shop bought granola, especially the ‘organic’ beautifully packaged ones are soooooo expensive, and get used so quickly in our house
- Just Yum – it’s so delicious – truly, especially when you are toasting it – the smells are heavenly! You can also make it exactly to your tastes – if you like a lot of cinnamon, great, if you don’t like coconut, don’t put it in, etc!
- Plastic-Free – it’s plastic-free to a certain extent – obviously it’s perched in a beautiful glass jar in the shelf, but some of the raw ingredients may have come in plastic – to eradicate that it’s a case of trying to buy from a zero waste shop, or buy larger bags of ingredients, which also works out more economical in the long run! But overall, considering the plastic inserts in supermarket cereal packets, it’s a net gain plastic-wise!
- Resourceful – It is a perfect opportunity to use up all of the bits and bobs you may have in the cupboard – oats, nuts, raisins, bits of fruit, end of honey jars…you name it! And I often mix it with yoghurt and stewed fruit, which I make from any slightly over the top soft and orchard fruit knocking around on my counter top. That is as simple as chucking it in a pan with some water and simmering till soft. Add a bit of sweetness if you need to.
- So Good For You – And finally, it’s healthy of course – no hidden nasties, a control on the amount and type of sugars you are putting in because some of the shop bought ones are loaded with way more than you need!
So for your first ‘do it yourself’ ‘go-to’ ‘resourceful recipe’ why not give it a try!
To make it easier, we’ve made these quick ‘swipe through’ recipe cards to download on to your phone – no printing anything out, no faffing around on Google – just download and swipe!
Download Your Swipeable Recipe Cards Here
Here is the basic recipe which I often double, and nearly always change according to what I’ve got in the cupboard. You can switch coconut oil with really any other oil, such as sunflower, or rapeseed oil, you can switch maple syrup for honey of course – it’s a lot cheaper for a start. And you don’t even really need to melt the fluid if it is fluid and not solid!
- 200 g giant rolled oats
- 100 g of sunflowers seeds
- 100g of pumpkin seeds
- 200 g of whatever nuts you have around – the recipe says 100g of pecans, and 100g of almonds, but I used a bag of mixed nuts we had in the cupboard
- 150g of raisins (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of coconut flakes
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (I use more)
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
- 1 table spoon of maple syrup
You simply melt the oil, syrup and cinnamon together. Blitz the nuts (to your desired size) and mix all the dry ingredients (except the raisins) and spread out on a baking tray. Pop it in the oven to toast on about 180 degrees, and turn the mixture every 10 minutes so it doesn’t burn. 30-35 minutes later, you’ll have some delicious home made granola! You can then add the fruit if you want to!
Happy days. We’d love to hear how you get on!
