Homemade Paleo Granola

“You can have some of my gra-no-la… ola-ola hey hey hey…some of my gra-no-la…”

I mean, Rihanna is probably now wishing she had sung about granola.

Well, it's been quite a while since the day I intended to dedicate time to posting on Steemit. So, I'm giving it another attempt, because good intentions have been there all along... And why not come back offering a tasty treat?

First thing you should know is that I loathe buying granola. Ok, maybe not loathe… but I rarely buy it. “What the heck is wrong with you??” you wonder. It’s because I cannot control myself around a box of granola. That crunchy texture. The subtle sweetness. Those clusters! As store-bought granola is often a huge sugar trap (seriously, might as well get the lucky charms... the other love of my life), I seek out the healthiest varieties I can find. And if you DO buy quality granola, you know that the cleaner the granola, the deeper you have to dip into your wallet to get that shi** in your life.

The thing is, when I buy a box of granola, I need to eat the entire thing- so the joy doesn't even last. I start off thinking it’ll be different this time… just a sprinkle a-top my yoghurt… just a quick little nibble before the gym. But you guys, why does it have to be so darn tasty?! And let’s face it- healthy granola comes in too-small packages. So before I know it, the entire thing is gone.

As a recovering sugar addict, I choose my sugar splurges carefully. I’d rather enjoy a slice of cake with tea during the week with a friend (and again on the weekend), and if the sun comes out, yes, I’d love some ice cream!

But, I’ve been craving a lot of granola lately. And I’m not one to deprive my body of something it’s so seriously needing, apparently. So I opted for making my own.

Um, and it was darn-frickin’ delicious. Even loverman couldn’t get enough. I thought it would last longer, but it only lasted about three days. I blame myself though- because a bowl of granola swimming in a bit of cashew milk is life. Or any milk, really.

Paleo Granola

1 cup of roughly chopped mixed nuts (or any nut)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped (optional)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup raw coconut flakes

1. Preheat your oven to 325F/160C and lay some parchment paper on your baking sheet.
2. Combine your chopped nuts, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, dates, and cinnamon into one bowl and stir it up.
3. Whisk together the melted coconut oil and maple syrup in a separate bowl.
4. Pour your liquid into the bowl of dry ingredients and mix it up really nice until the granola is evenly coated.
5. Spread your granola mix out into one layer on the baking sheet and place into oven for 15 minutes.
6. Removed granola from oven, add coconut flakes, and mix it all up. Again, spread it out into one layer. (I did this all right on the baking sheet)
7. Place granola into the oven for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove baking sheet from oven and allow to cool completely.
9. Store your granola in an air-tight container and most importantly- E N J O Y !

Happy crunching!

(photos are likely HUGE... need to figure out the resizing situation)