Monday, April 11, 2011

Oh oh, it's.... oatmeal!

I have now made 2 different batches of granola. For my second batch I decided to use up some of the old packets of instant oatmeal that we had in the pantry. I also used Quaker's Steel Cut Oats, vanilla protein powder, pysllium (can't get enough fiber!) and raw/whole almonds. I normally buy as much organic as possible, but I chose the Quaker, conventional over the organic because the Quaker indicated on their packaging that they were using less packaging, recycled and post-consumer recycled materials. I was happy to support that with a purchase. 



Step 1:  Chop up the almonds. I know I didn't give an amount, but really the proportions are all what you like! If nuts are your thing then add more nuts. If you like the oatmeal part then add more oatmeal! I scooped out about 3 cups of whole almonds for this batch and added it to the bowl. I kept kind of track because I like to enter the "recipe" into My Food Diary to keep track of the nutritional content and serving sizes.

Step 1b: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Step 2: I opened all 8 packets of the instant oatmeal and dumped them in the bowl.

Step 3: I dumped a scoop of protein powder into the bowl.

Step 4: I dumped 3 tablespoons of psyllium into the bowl.



Step 5: I used a tiny bit (about 1 tbsp) of agave nectar to sweeten the batch. I knew there was a lot of sugar in the packaged oatmeal and the cranberries I would add later so I didn't add much. If you don't have an out of control sweet tooth then you could forgo this ingredient entirely. I do think the liquid helps to bind it together though, so I would add something though I haven't tried anything but agave and honey. Maybe some kind of juice?


Step 6: Spray the pan (I used a big cookie sheet) with some nonstick spray and spread out the ingredients. Put it in the over for about 10 minutes before turning it and letting it cook for another 10 or minute minutes. The only thing you are doing here is browning and crisping the oats and nuts, so take it out when it is browned to your liking. Beware: Nuts go from wonderful toasty brown to burnt char in a matter of moments.

Step 7: Let it cool and then add dried fruit to the mix, package it up and you're on your way.

I was not exact in my measurements so I do not have the exact nutritional content of either batch. If I track the amounts that I put in, determine if 1/2 cup or 1 cup is a serving and enter it into MFD I will get fiber, calories, protein, iron etc. for each serving.

This is a lot cheaper than store bought granola, something else I should have tracked for y'all! I guess that will just have to be another blog post. :)

3 comments:

  1. Wow, that does seem easy! I thought it was going to be more complicated. I will do that sometime this week! Thanks!

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  2. I tend to use about a cup of apple juice and a quarter cup of oil in my granola to hold everything together and to add that bit of sweetness. :)

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  3. Thanks Maggie, that's a great idea! It really is so quick and easy, Jen!

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