Front Porch Farming, Front Porch Cooking, Front Porch Schooling, Front Porch Nutrition

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Homemade Pumpkin Spiced Granola


My husband was going to be leaving for a Broomball Tournament in the Cities and I wanted to make something healthy that he could eat for breakfast that would keep him energized and his blood sugars stable-ALL DAY! He was going to be playing 3 games for sure in one day and we knew that -that much exercise to a type 1 diabetic can be hard on his blood sugar. Rewind a couple of weeks ago- he played in the Nisswa Jubilee and that morning for breakfast I made him a bowl of our homemade yogurt (http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/you-can-make-yogurt-in-your-crockpot.html) made from raw whole milk. LOADED with protein and B vitamins. To that we added chia seeds, granola and hemp seed. Also, lots of protein and healthy carbohydrates. He said he played well that day and never felt hungry or like he was getting low. So, since he was going out of town I wanted to make something he could take with him. Hence-more yogurt and granola. We made this granola from scratch and it was absolutely delicious. Thought I would share it with you:
4 cups of old fashioned rolled GF oats
2 cups shredded coconut
2 cups sliced almonds
3/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup good honey
1 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit. (I used dates, apricots)
1 cup of chopped dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup sucanut
1 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. pumpkin pie spice
Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and walnuts together in large bowl. Whisk together the oil and honey-pour over the oat mixture. Mix well. Pour onto large cookie sheet ( I needed 2 cookie sheets). Bake at 350 degrees for 20-40 min stirring occasionally. Granola should be golden brown when done. Take out to cool while still continuing to stir on occasion. Granola will crisp up as it cools. THEN add the remaining ingredients. Dried fruit, cranberries and chia seeds. Mix well and store in an air tight container.

6 comments:

Tammy said...

Sounds amazing! What are chia seeds and sucanuts?

Nikki said...

I checked out the yogurt recipe you had a link to...wondering if you did everything the same except for using raw milk?

Wendy said...

@Nikki ~ I have been making this recipe in my crockpot for over a year now. I have learned to follow it exactly or it won't turn out. I use raw milk because that is what we have on hand. I am trying my first attempt with store bought milk tonight. I imagine it should turn out considering that is what the recipe calls for origanally?? I will keep you posted. LOVE my yogurt. Yum!

Wendy said...

@Tammy~ Chia seeds are this wonderful super food. They are actual tiny seeds found in the regions of South America that have an incredible amount of health benefits. They are high in Omega 3's, protein and fiber. They will actually puff up like a tapioca when put in liquid. I have made chia pudding before that is to die for delicious. And so nutritious. Sucanat is still cane sugar, but not as processed leaving many of the natural minerals. Did I mention sucanat? I don't remember. I better go re-read.

Wendy said...

*I did mention it! This was not part of the original recipe. Something I added on my own. I sprinkled it in the mixture afterward. It has a more molasses flavor which really deepens the flavor of the spices.

Nikki said...

I've been making yogurt with raw milk, but kind of wanted to try a new method. I haven't been cooking it all, but instead leaving it out in a warm place for 12-18 hours. It's been turning out fine, but with warmer weather I don't want to have to try to keep a room above 70. Thanks for getting back to me!