Jump Start

Are you a cereal eater?  I am on the weekends.  I don't love a lot of the cereals out there though.  I like Life but sometimes seems a little sweeter than I would like and I do like Cheerios but only if I have craisons on hand to make them less boring.  I honestly never considered making my own cereal.  That is until I caught an episode of The Chew a couple of months ago and now I'm hooked.  Clinton Kelly's Favorite Granola is super easy to make, really tasty and a good project for the kids if their looking for something to do.

You start with 3 cups of old fashioned oats.  Who couldn't use more oats in their life?  A great source of fiber and protein, they are a heart healthy food.

Add to that 1/2 cup almonds, 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut (which we had to go to a specialty store for that because our grocer only had the sweet stuff) and 1/2 cup sunflower seeds.  In another bowl mix 1/2 cup peanut oil and 1/2 cup honey.  Always measure oil out first because this makes the honey slide right out of the cup or off the spoon which ever the case may be.

Now mix the contents of both bowls together until well coated.  Add 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup dried cranberries.  Obviously you can mix and match to your liking (I say this because I'm not a fan of raisins and will probably leave them out next time).

Spread the mixture on to two baking sheets and bake in a 250 oven for about an hour, stirring once or twice until browned to your liking.

This makes the house smell pretty darn good.  Let it cool before digging in. It gets crunchy as it cools.

I eat mine with low fat vanilla yogurt for breakfast but it can satisfy a sweet craving any time of day.
Visit The Chew for the printable version of this recipe.  Its a good way to jump start the day!