When I was living at Silver Lake Camp and Lance was director, I noticed how little protein was included in most breakfast cereals that were the staple of many morning offerings. The egg meals with meat lasted longer to help staff make it to lunchtime with good nourishing fuel, but the cold breakfast offerings were nutritionally deficient. Commercial cereals were high in sugar and processed grains that elevate blood sugars but then burn off quickly leaving most staff and campers with a sugar crash in the late morning long before lunch. We tried adding yogurt, but the food industry keeps adding sugar and fillers to these and dairy-free diets were left with only bread options... and fruit. I had a blender and could make morning smoothies to keep myself fuelled - but that was not a good option for just under one hundred people on site.
So I asked my friend, Linda Jacobs for her granola recipe which my family has tweaked for our allergies. We made a nut-free version for camp and offered it as an option on cereal morning. It became a favourite as it kept bodies fuelled well all morning long.
This version makes a large batch to last my family a month or more as a breakfast and snacking option. We have added protein powder to increase the staying power for growing teenage boys, but for lesser protein needs, feel free to leave it out.
You can cut this recipe in half for smaller households!
INGREDIENTS:
- 9 cups Gluten Free Oats (this just means they weren't grown with wheat to get cross pollinated).
- 1 cup Milled Flax Seed
- 1 cup Milled Chia Seeds
- 1 cup Hemp Seeds
- 2 tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/4- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 4 Scoops of Vanilla Protein Powder or Collagen of Choice (We find this adds sweetness so we use less sugar but it is optional.)
- Nuts and Seeds - add as you wish - Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Slivered Almonds, Sesame Seeds
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
In a large measuring cup or separate bowl combine:
- 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Liquid Coconut Oil
- 3/4 Cup Honey
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 Can of Apple Juice Concentrate (Optional - makes a chewier texture- we leave this out)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pour wet ingredients over dry in a very large mixing bowl. Mix well to coat (using our hands works well!).
- Pour granola in two 9"x!3" pans or larger (approximately 2" deep)
- Bake at 300 F for 15 minutes.
- Remove granola from oven to stir well before returning it to bake another 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely and store in air tight containers for adding to ice cream sundaes, or for an easy nutrient dense breakfast. You only need a little to fill up most adults. :)
Enjoy experimenting!
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