Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Skinny Maple Granola

Maple Granola 3

I love the idea of granola.

Sweet, crispy oats paired with nuts, seeds, and fruit – it feels like a treat for breakfast every day.

My only issue with granola is that it always ends up being super high in sugar and calories, because most store bought granolas are made with way too much sugar, unhealthy fats, and dried fruit that also has added sugar to it!

Luckily, it is super easy and quick to make your own granola at home, and it actually tastes even better than the store-bought variety. It also stores really well — you can keep it in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Maple Granola 2

This particular granola has all of the fixings of the traditional variety: toasted rolled oats, almonds, pecans, pistachios, and dried fruit of your choice. But there are some fun, healthy add-ins: toasted quinoa, ground flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, and coconut oil for some healthy fats!

The way I like to eat granola for breakfast is: I start with a bowl full of low-glycemic fruit (about 1-1.5 cups of chopped apples, pears, and berries). Then I top the bowl with about 1/4 cup of granola, and then 6-8oz of low fat plain Greek Yogurt. It’s super filling, and only about 300 calories total for breakfast.

Usually when I make granola I like to use a bag of mixed nuts because that way I don’t have to measure out each nut separately. For this particular batch, I used Back to Nature’s bag of mixed nuts. I love Back to Nature’s products because they are all Non-GMO, Organic, and have nothing artificial added to them. I use their crackers all the time when making cheese plates, their nuts in my oatmeal, and of course – in granola too!

Maple Granola

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do, and it becomes a staple at your breakfast table!

Skinny Maple Granola

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 16 servings (or 4 cups)

Serving Size: 1/4 cup

Calories per serving: 127

Fat per serving: 6.5g

Nutritional Info Per Serving: 127 Calories, 6.5g Fat (1.8g Saturated), 17mg Sodium, 15.8g Carbs, 2.4g Fiber, 6g Sugar, 3g Protein

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1.5 cups Rolled Oats
  • 2 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
  • 1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds
  • 8 Tbsp Sliced Almonds/Cashews/Pistachios
  • 1/4 cup Chopped Pecans
  • 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
  • 2 tbsp Coconut Oil
  • 1/2 cup Dried Fruit (Raisins, Cherries, Cranberries) - just make sure there is no sugar added
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • Pinch of Ground Nutmeg

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spread oats and quinoa on a parchment lined baking sheet, toast in the oven for 10 minutes, stirring once.
  2. Remove oats/quinoa from the oven, pour into a bowl and add all of the remaining ingredients.
  3. Spread back onto a baking sheet, and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.

Notes

Inspired by ForagedLove

http://ift.tt/29bWJZf

 



from The Picky Eater: A Healthy Food Blog http://ift.tt/29bWJZf

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