{The Johnston's yummy & healthy granola recipe}

Granola is a staple in the Johnston home. We eat a lot of it. & I have always made our granola rather than buying premade granola. We have tried many different yummy recipes over the years, & through all of our tasting, we have created our own recipe that we LOVE. it is delicious & very healthy! 

We TRY to be pretty healthy in our home. Key word there is "try". & granola is something that is very easy to incorporate healthy foods into & you eat it first thing in the morning, so it gets you off to a healthy start!

for example, in our granola recipe, we use: Coconut oil rather than vegetable oil, Agave nectar instead of sugar, Chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds, & different nuts. 

Here are the health benefits of each item:

Coconut oil: Contains lauric acid which helps with Cholesterol levels, Hair & skin care, increased immunity,digestion, & metabolism. The only other natural source of Lauric acid is breastmilk.

Hemp seeds: High in protein, vitamin E,  fatty acids & fiber. They  also strengthen your immune system because they contain a perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 Linolenic acid & Omega-3 Linolenic acid. They are also easily digestible. 

Flax seeds: Flax is high in Omega 3 essential fatty acids. It supports your immune system. Flax also contains high levels of Lignans which are natural compounds that help prevent many types of cancer.

Sunflower seeds: They are packed with vitamins including Vitamin B1, B5, Vitamin E, & folate. They also provide a healthy dose of copper, magnesium, selenium & phosphorous. Other substances found in sunflower seeds are Tryptophan & Choline. Tryptophan helps reduce stress, anxiety & depression. Choline increases brain function.

Almonds: They are high in Monounsaturated fats whic hhelp keep your heart health. They are high in protein and low in Carbohydrates. Almonds are a well known anti oxident. They also contain Fiber, Calcium, Vitamin E, Zinc, Phosphorous, folic acid & Omega 3.

Pecans: they contain more antioxidents than any other nut. They also contain Vitamin E, Calcium, Magnesium, potassium, Zinc & fiber. They are very rich in heart healthy fat. they help boost your immune system.

Chia seeds: A high concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids. They are also high in Calcium, iron, Potassium, Magnesium, fiber, & Protein. Chia seeds also contain more Lignans than flax.

Now that you know what everything is :) , Here is our yummy & healthy granola recipe! 

{The Johnston's Yummy & Healthy Granola Recipe}

You will need:

6C rolled oats {NOT instant oats}

3T coconut oil

1t cinnamon

1 1/2t vanilla

3/4C agave nectar

1/4C almonds

2T sunflower seeds

1t flax seeds

1t Chia seeds

1t hemp seeds

1/2C pecans

1 1/2t salt

Place ALL ingredients in a large bowl. 

Mix thoroughly. 

Preheat oven to 350.

Pour granola onto non greased cookie sheets. 

Bake for 5 minutes.

Pull out of the oven & mix up & stir your granola so that it doesnt burn.

Bake for another 5 minutes.

Mix & stir again.

Bake again for another 5 minutes or so. 

& its done! 

After it is baked, it should look like this, a nice golden brown :)

Store your granola in an air tight container. I store mine in a very VERY large Ball jar. 

You can eat this granola with Yogurt, milk, or any milk substitute of your choice. 

I like to add raisins & banana chips to mine :) Yum! 

 My husband absolutely HATES raisins & bananas. I absolutely LOVE both! Seriously, i eat them both in some form everyday. {I put raisins in everything & it makes him so mad haha}

Since he doesnt like my way of preparing it, he adds dried blueberries to his, which is equally delicious :)

& sometimes we add fresh strawberries too.  

Enjoy!