since a cupcake apparently does not constitute an appropriate breakfast, i decided to go for something a bit healthier this week.  homemade granola + banana + soy vanilla yogurt.

homemade granola recipe (i sort of made this up quickly so please excuse any errors)

  • 2 1/2 cups oats (not quick cooking)
  • 1 cup sliced almonds (you can reduce if this is too much for you.  or you can replace with any chopped nuts that you may fancy.)
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup crisped rice cereal
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • salt to taste (optional)
  • a few tablespoons of vegetable oil (optional)

1) preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) mix oats & almonds.  spread onto large baking sheet.  cook in oven until lightly toasted, stirring every 10 minutes or so.  this took me 20 minutes.

3) mix together cranberries & rice cereal in a large mixing bowl.

4) remove oats and almonds from oven and let cool.

5) heat honey in small saucepan until thin and runny.  you can add the vegetable oil if necessary to thin it out.  take off the heat and stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  if you like salt in your baked food, add it here.  i generally do not cook with salt so i did not add any.

6) add oats & almonds to large bowl with cranberries & rice cereal.  stir.

7) pour honey mixture over dry mixture and stir until well coated.

8) spread granola onto baking sheet (make sure to cover the baking sheet with parchment paper beforehand, because the mixture is really sticky!).  bake until golden brown and crispy, stirring occasionally.  this took me about 35-40 minutes.

9) remove granola from oven and let cool completely, before storing.

10) serve with a dollop of yogurt.