Spiced Cranberry Granola

There is a list of things that make it into Luke’s lunch box and therefore his stomach everyday.

granola bar
trail mix
banana
main meal such as grilled chicken and veggies or leftovers
a second piece of fruit
yogurt
granola

This list doesn’t include the food he eats before he leaves the house in the morning, usually cereal and some sort of carb smothered in peanut butter or hard boiled eggs, or the food he packs in snacking after he gets home from work, eating dinner and cereal before bed.

It’s funny because you would never guess he eats like he’s getting ready to hibernate for the winter. He’s lean. He’s muscular. He’s hot. I like him. Even if being married to him requires preparing quite a lot of food. As long as his perfectly sculpted shoulders, chest and back are under my roof I will keep the place stocked with whatever food he wants. But I digress.

You can imagine it is a bit cheaper to feed my hungry husband, and daughter for that matter, healthy food when I make it myself as compared to buying it at the store. Have you checked out the price of good granola in the store? Whew! Those prices could make a mama faint. Especially when tiny boxes of granola can get emptied within 24 hours of entering the Evolving Mommy household.

Granola is not hard to make, but it is a lot cheaper to make than buy. Trust me on this. Or do your own math whatever, just make some of this and them sprinkle it on your yogurt or pour some milk over it or use it to top some vanilla ice cream.The sweet and tart cranberries, crunchy oats and almond and the perfect spice from cinnamon is addicting. So addicting you might find yourself making it over and over again. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything.

Spice Cranberry Granola Ingredients

5 cups oats
1/2 cup flax seeds
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit

In a large bowl mix oats, flax seeds, almonds and cranberries.

Heat a large sauce pan or wok over medium heat. Mix coconut oil, cinnamon, salt, honey, and vanilla. Melt honey and other ingredients together, stirring constantly. Once honey mixture is thoroughly mixed and liquid pour the oat mixture into the pan. Stir the contents to evenly coat the oat mixture with the honey mixture.

Pour the granola onto 2 cookie sheets. Spread the mixture out evenly but make sure to keep the oats about an inch or two from the edges of the pan. Bake the granola for 25 minutes, checking it frequently to make sure it is not browning too much. It should be a light golden brown at most. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool off to the side for about 10 minutes. Place the sheet back in the oven for about 10 minutes to further dry and crisp it. Again it should not be any darker than a light golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool on pan. Once cool break up the granola with hands and store in an airtight container.