The Most Ridiculously Healthy and Delicious Hodge-Podge Granola

Let me ask you a few questions!

Do you like ....granola?

Do you like ...delicious baked goods?

Do you like ...healthy delicious baked goods that you can eat over and over and over again and reap the benefits of heart-healthy nuts, metabolism boosting spices, and chia seeds bursting with omega-3s!?

Do you like ...all the added preservatives and fake sugars that big skeezeball food companies sneakily add to their granola?!

If you answered yes to questions 1 through 3, and no to that last one, then oh boy do I have a bonzer of a recipe for you today!

Okay, thanks Billy, back to the good stuff: i.e. this entire recipe.

To put it bluntly, this granola recipe is essentially just a mumbo jumbo of as many healthy ingredients in my pantry that I could find and throw into a granola.

Your body will thank me.

Also, click each item link to read about the health benefits of each one! (Seriously, it took me forever. Please read them.)

2 1/2 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup of cooked quinoa

1/2 cup-1 cup mixture of "superfood trail mix" (cranberries, goji berries, coconut shreds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds)

1/3 cup of chopped almonds (I just chopped mine in half, but you can make smaller chops if you're feeling dicey today)

1/4 cup shredded coconut (I'd use unsweetened, because you can sweeten it as much as you like afterwards yourself, and you don't have the fake extra/unnecessary added sweeteners on the coconut itself. Your body, your call!)

2 tablespoons of chia seeds

1 tablespoon of ground flax seed (NOTE: MUST. USE. GROUND. Ya' body won't digest the whole flax seeds properly otherwise.)

1 tablespoon of cinnamon (For real, add as much cinnamon as you want. It's lovely for your body. But maybe not, like, 4 whole cups. Wisdom.)

Shake of nutmeg (makes it smell like Christmas. Even though I'm in Australia and it'll be super warm for Christmas, I still need that winter-y feeling.)

1/2 cup raw honey/pure maple syrup (friendly reminder, if your honey or maple syrup says it has high fructose corn syrup listed in the ingredients, throw it out the window and hope it hits the manufacturers on the heads on its way down. The real stuff is the good stuff for your body.)

Additional non-vegan option: 2 beaten egg whites for the "clumpy" factor

OR vegan option: beaten aquafaba to replace the egg white mix

Do It:

Mix it all together (♫ and you know that it's the best of both worlds ♫) and voila, happy days!!!

A bit more detailed instructions:

Mix all the dry first, then add the liquid. Then add the pre-beaten egg whites as the final step. You can add some extra liquid if it seems too dry, like milk or more honey/maple syrup.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper, and pop it in your 350° F (180° C) oven, and bake for around 20-30 minutes! Mix it up halfway through so they get evenly baked.

Notes: These are super lenient instructions because every oven/location is different and you might need less time than I did! Follow your nose and your eyes. If it smells good and it's golden in color, go with your instincts. If it smells burnt, and looks like it's burning, it's probably burning and you should get that checked out. 

It will continue to cook a bit in the pan so take it out and let it cool off the direct heat. Feel free to break some clumps up, or leave it as clumpy as you dig it! Store in overpriced chalkboard painted mason jars, retro-looking milk bottles that are too small to really store anything, or the actually useful and ever-handy, Tupperware. If it's airtight, it's all right.

Cheers, mes chéries!!