Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe

I remember being in the kitchen, helping my grandma make her homemade granola. Measuring and pouring in the oats, almonds, raisins and whatever else she would have filled in my measuring cup. Listening and watching in anticipation as we'd mix everything together. My grandma would cook her granola in the crock pot for hours. It seemed to me like a whole day. The aroma that would come from the kitchen would make your mouth water. Memories in the making, that's what those sounds and smells were. Little did I know that Grandma had a sneaky side. She was feeding us something healthy, and we didn't even realize it.

There are many benefits of homemade granola over the store bought kind. Many manufacturers load their granola with high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Granola can be eaten as a dry snack, sprinkled over fruit and yogurt or as a bowl of cereal. Just make sure you watch your portion size. Although granola is a healthy snack, it can contain a lot of calories and fat per serving.

Here is my grandma's recipe for her Homemade Granola.

INGREDIENT LIST
3 cups of rolled oats, instant or regular oats
1 cup of shredded coconut
½ cup of shelled sunflower seeds
½ cup of almonds
½ cup of cashews
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
2/3 cup of honey
¼ cup of vegetable oil

Mix all the above ingredients together and cook on low setting in the crock pot. Make sure to keep the lid slightly off to vent. Stir every half an hour and cook for 4 hours. When it is finished cooking, after 4 hours, it will be soft. It will harden after it sits for a little bit.

After the granola is done cooking, now is the time to add dried fruits, cranberries, and raisins. If these items are added during the cooking process, they will get hard. Use 1 ½ cups (more or less, depending on your liking) of all combined fruit you want to add.

This is the perfect snack for your kids after school to tide them over until dinner or a quick bedtime snack. This also makes a great housewarming or "Just Because" gift.