Healthy Homemade Granola

Breakfast is an essential part of our day. "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch as a prince and dinner like a pauper," someone smart said. As much as I try to follow those guidelines, I think that a king's meal should be not only fulfilling but healthy and nutritious as well. When I was little, my mom cooked hot meal every morning and she always said, "Our body is like an engine. Whatever we put in the engine every morning, that way our body will work." Back in the day, I did not care about it much. All I wanted in the morning was my sweet sleep. Things have not changed much since then. I still love to sleep and to have my "9-hour-queen-sleep":-) However, I became more alert to what I like to have on my plate for breakfast.

Today I started the morning with homemade granola. I used to get it in the store and became a little upset when I ran out of it. I find granola nutritiously delicious. It combines all the ingredients I love: baked crunchy oatmeal, a variety of my favorite nuts, colorful fruits and aromatic honey. Besides, as I found out, it was very easy to make on my own at home. So, here is the recipe of my happy healthy granola:)

Ingredients

3 cups of oats (I like to have a big pack of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats. That way you will never run out of them:-)
1/2 cup of sliced almonds (any other nuts will work as well)
1/2 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of dried cranberries (or any fruit you like)
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
3 Tbs of orange zest
1/3 cup of olive oil (Extra virgin)
1/2 cup of honey
1Tbs ground cinnamon
1 tsp of salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and prepare a sheet pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: oats, sesame seeds, nuts, fruits, zest, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, mix honey and oil.

3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. Spread the mixture on the sheet pan and place in the oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Stir the mixture every 10 minutes so that granola cooks evenly.

4. Take the sheet pan out and cool.

* Granola can be stored in a plastic container or a jar for up to 3 weeks.

Bon Appetit!