Monday, January 10, 2011

Honey Granola

So my 3 year old, almost 4 year old, had surgery a couple days ago.

He got his tonsils removed and tubes put in his ears.  He is doing very well, we are hoping it will improve his speech, help him talk quieter, and be able to hear what we are saying. We can already see a difference in his hearing.  We didn't realize he couldn't hear until several weeks ago he started telling us he couldn't hear what we were saying when we were talking in a normal voice.  So into the ENT we went.  We found out he had huge tonsils and so much fluid in his ears he couldn't hear very well.  So we decided on surgery.

Now we are eating lots of popsicles, jello, yogurt, and pudding.  Not very fun to share on my blog but here is favorite we eat all the time with our yogurt.

Granola.  I love it.  I have it in yogurt, in a bowl of milk, or just plain.  I feel so healthy eating it.  I know, I know, it's not that healthy but it seems like it should be!  Anyway, I feel like it is a lot healthier when I make it at home.  My sister, Jennifer gave me this wonderful recipe and it is now a staple at our house.  It makes quite a bit so I separate it into small bags and freeze what I am not using.  It freezes very well, stays crunchy and fresh, and keeps it's flavor.  

8 c. old fashioned oats
1-2 c. chopped nuts (I use almonds, pecans, and cashews)
1 c. shaved coconut (not flakes--I find mine at Fred Meyer)
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1/2 c. honey
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. vanilla

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl combine oats, nuts, and coconut.  

2.  In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, mix oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla until sugar dissolves.  About 3-4 minutes of boiling.  Pour over oat mixture and stir until everything is well coated.  Pour onto 2 well greased cookie sheets.  Cook in 8 minute increments for a total of 25-30 minutes or until light brown.  After each 8 minutes, stir granola and rotate the shelf they were on.  When done, cool completely and break into small pieces. Store in an air tight container.  Enjoy!

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