Granola
I'm about a million years behind everyone else but I've only just made my first ever batch of granola.
We all know that granola contains a lot of sugar (in whatever form) so it's debatable whether or not it's a healthy breakfast. But anything homemade, when you know exactly what has gone in to it, and can control your portion size, is worth a few extra calories.
My breakfast of choice will always be porridge oats made with milk or water, and topped with natural yogurt and fresh fruit. But this has been a lovely weekend change and it has been a huge hit with my girls.
It's so easy to make too, you will need:
250g porridge oats, 50g sunflower seeds, 50g pumpkin seeds, 50g walnuts, 50g hazelnuts. For the syrup you will need 5 tbsp rapeseed oil (or any other good quality vegetable oil), 3.5 tbsp runny honey, 3.5 tbsp maple syrup.
I toasted the nuts and seeds first and bashed them in a pestle and mortar to break them up a little. You could totally skip this part though. Then add them to the oats and mix well. Add all the syrup ingredients into a pan over a low heat and gently warm the syrup through, don't let it bubble up to a boil. Pour the syrup over the oats, nuts and seeds and mix well. Lay the mixture out onto some baking paper on a flat baking tray and put it in an over pre-heated to 160 degrees. Cook for around 35/40 minutes, stirring a few times to break up the mixture and get an even coating. It's done once it's golden brown.
Served with natural yogurt and fresh fruit
Once it's done, leave to cool. At this stage you could add in some dried fruit of your choice but my preference is always for fresh fruit. Place in an airtight container - it will last 2 or 3 weeks. Although I can't see ours making it past the first week!
Definitely a new family favourite and worth a bit of effort to eat homemade rather than shop bought. And it makes the house smell amazing while it's cooking!