Enjoy with fresh fruit and yogurt (or almond milk) OR straight out off the pan once cooled! It’s crazy addictive. You’ve been warned!
Recipe: I’ll Take My Cereal with Sugar and a Side of Milk
When I was a kid, cereal was my favourite thing to eat. I could have it for breakfast, or a midnight snack. It was always a good time for a bowl of cereal! My particular bowl of choosing often rotated between Fruit Loops and Corn Pops.
You can only imagine my horror when I actually flipped over the boxes to read what really goes into those sweet, tasty snacks of mine. There are some scary things including refined sugar at the top of the ingredient list which can also be listed in the form of high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, icing sugar or just straight sugar.
Other questionable ingredients include BHT and artificial food dyes (such as Red #40) to name a few.
What are these ingredients anyways? Well…
BHT – aka Butylated Hydroxytoluene. Used as a food preservative and also found in cosmetics, this additive has been flagged by the Canadian government as a human health priority that should be assessed further. High doses and long term exposure to BHT has shown to be toxic in lab tests as well.
Artificial Food Dyes – studies have shown that these are carcinogenic. They can also exacerbate hyperactivity especially in children and increase hypersensitivity resulting in allergies, food intolerances and asthma (read the studies, here and here).
Since then, I’ve graduated from my refined sugar filled breakfast/snack item and now reach for a wholesome bowl of heart healthy homemade granola topped with fruit, raw honey and almond milk or greek yogurt! An option both my body and tastebuds can agree on!
With this, there are no refined sugars and so many nourishing ingredients that your body and heart will love!
Now let’s breakdown some key health ingredients here that will keep your body thriving and your taste buds happy:
Walnuts – a great source of omega-3 fats which are known to benefit heart health and a very good source of copper which is essential for our bodies to build collagen (hello happy joints and healthy skin and hair!).
Almonds – a good source of vitamin E to help with that healthy skin glow and heart healthy fats that assist in lowering cholesterol.
Oats – contain a special form of fiber called beta-glucan that is very effective in lowering cholesterol.
Brazil Nuts – an amazing source of selenium, a powerful antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals that attack healthy cells. It can reduce the risk of breast, lung, bowel and prostate cancer as a result. They are also high in those heart healthy omega-3 fats!
Pumpkin Seeds – high in protein and are packed with iron. In fact, a 1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds contains almost 10 grams of protein!
I hope you give this one a try and love it as much as I do! This is seriously a staple in my household. If you give this a try, please comment below to let me know or tag me on instagram at #happyhealthcc. I’d love to see your creations!
Recipe: Heart Healthy Homemade Granola
Serves 18 (~1/4 cup per serve)
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Yields 1 full sheet tray
Dry Ingredients:
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup whole almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts*
1/2 cup chopped Brazil nuts*
1/2 cup cashew halves
3/4 cup shredded or flaked coconut unsweetened
1 1/2 cup oats (certified gluten free if needed)
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, goji berries etc)
Syrup Ingredients:
4 tbsp coconut oil (measured solid)
1/4 cup maple syrup
3 tbsp raw honey
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cinnamon
To Make:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon sheet.
- Combine all ingredients from pumpkin seeds to oats in a large bowl.
- On medium heat combine the coconut oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract until melted and well combined. No need to bring this to a boil.
- Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and give everything a stir then add in the flax and sesame seeds. Mix until well coated and combined.
- Distribute onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer (try to ensure the edges are the same thickness as the rest of the batch or they are more likely to burn).
- Bake for 15-20 mins until golden turning the pan halfway to evenly bake. Do not stir.
- Remove from the oven and top with a layer of dried fruit. Let cool completely to allow chunks to form (again, do not stir!).
- Let cool completely (about 3-4 hours) then slide a spatula underneath the granola to lift and break into pieces.
- Transfer to an air tight container and store in the fridge to maintain chunks and freshness.
*Notes: if you are short on time or just not into chopping, feel free to buy pre-chopped nuts! You can also try my lazy lady method of putting the nuts in a ziploc bag and using a can to lightly break them into rough pieces.