Granola

This was a first for me, I have never ventured to make my own granola cereal.  I have never been a big cereal fan, and most are so unhealthy that breakfast at our house is usually a smoothie of some sort, oatmeal for my daughter sometimes (filled with berries or nuts), and an occasional day of omelets or gluten-free pancakes.  But, I do enjoy granola sometimes, though buying organic granola in a box is expensive and you hardly get any in the box (plus it's contains hidden sugars).  So, I looked online for hours to find a recipe I liked and did not find one so I made it up myself.  I hope you like it!

3 cups organic oats (gluten-free if you prefer)-not quick cooking oats
2 cups nuts (I used raw almonds and pecans)-I lightly food processed them so they were in pieces
2/3 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup organic raisins
2 scoops MILA chia seed (about 1/4 cup)
2 Tbsp. cinnamon
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp raw honey (I maybe did not need this but my 4 year old was helping me make it and she said honey would be good so I added a bit and it was yummy)

1.  Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl until mixed.
2.  Spread on a large cookie or baking sheets.
3.  Bake at 300 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until browned, stirring every 10 minutes.  The granola will crisp up more as it cools.

My husband was eating this by the handful, but I enjoyed it for breakfast the next day with a splash of almond milk, and my daughter liked it too.  This was a perfect example of a great recipe to make with your child, my daughter can be a creature of habit but she loved this (mostly because she helped make it).  This was a sweet and hearty way to start the day without eating refined-sugar filled boxed cereal!