Darcy’s Daily Granola

A granola a day keeps the doctor away… or at least THIS granola does!

When it comes to my mornings, I, like many of us, strive for regularity… Since mostly everything else in my life is unpredictable and truly changes by the minute, I crave the consistency of my morning routine.

I begin with a small bottle of Fiji water, that I drink while doing a few yoga stretches, and enjoy a super-charged Green Juice like this one while checking emails and walking my dogs. I start work, without fail, with a cafe elonge from my brilliant Nespresso machine, and the fuel for my day comes from a bowl of my homemade granola topped with whatever seasonal fruit I have on hand. 

A little splash of almond milk, and a read through my favorite blogs, online news, & magazines, and my day is off and running always on the right foot.

So here’s my coveted daily-dose-granola recipe. Every other Sunday I make a batch and store it in an airtight glass container where it stays fresh and delicious for 2 weeks. You can also double or triple this recipe and freeze it to have on hand for the weeks and months ahead.

Makes about 7 cups

~ Dairy-Free

~ Make it Gluten-Free: omit the All Bran and replace with more oats and/or sprouted quinoa!

1 cup All Bran original cereal

1 cup Truroots Sprouted Quinoa

1 cup Udis Gluten-Free slow baked oats

1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts

1/2 cup coarsely ground flaxseeds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup chopped pitted prunes

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Generous pinch or two of course sea salt

1/2 cup Cold Pressed, Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Grade A pure maple syrup

1/4 cup raw active honey (preferably local, as it helps decrease allergy symptoms) + 1 Tbsp organic Flax Oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients, seeds, dried fruit, cinnamon, & sea salt. Mix gently to combine with a wooden spoon or fingers.

3. Add the olive oil, maple syrup, honey, and flax oil, and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to let the wet ingredients coat the dry.

4. Pour the granola mix onto a large baking tray and spread evenly across in one thin layer. Place tray in middle rack of the oven for 23-25min, stirring occasionally as it bakes and dries (about 3 times).

5. Let the granola cool completely on the baking tray at room temperature before storing in an airtight glass container, snacking, or enjoying.

** The Benefits broken-down **

My unique granola blend provides a great amount of natural fiber, protein, and digestive benefits: Elements like sunflower seeds, cinnamon, flax, and olive oil aid digestive health. 

Walnuts are the most fabulous nut in that they are cancer fighters and provide an excellent amount of healthy protein. 

Sprouted Quinoa, is such an important addition considering the amount of vitamin C, B, and protein sprouted quinoa adds, and in sprouting the quinoa (which Truroots has already done for you) digestive enzyme inhibitors like Phytic acid is decreases allowing your body to comfortably absorb the vitamins and minerals so valuable in quinoa. 

I douse my granola with organic unsweetened almond milk which increases the amount of protein and calcium in my kick-ass start to the day, which in turn keeps me full for hours on end, and strong enough to tackle whatever the day may throw at me.

Here’s to a habitually happy and healthy start to the day!

xo