Kick off your morning with granola!

Today is the healthy link-up with Elizabeth Ann of Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box, Allison of Cupcake Diaries and Whitney of Harvest Home!
It is January and with January comes many resolutions to eat better, exercise more, live a healthier lifestyle. I prefer not to use the word, "diet" because then that means to me a temporary change in your eating patterns. By saying lifestyle then it is changing the way you view what foods you eat, how often you exercise, do you park the car close to the front of the store, or do you park it a bit further away to walk a bit more. There are tons of little changes you can do that do add up. 
I will admit that I didn't always exercise on a regular basis. My running started senior year of high school getting up early in the morning and running alongside my dad. I definitely learned about a healthy and active lifestyle from my parents. My mom always goes for a morning walk, my dad enjoys any type of exercise or physical activity he can get, biking, tennis, running, etc. Then in college, I was somewhat running but not as regularly the first few years. Senior year I trained for a full marathon so definitely put in a lot of miles then. Since college ended, I still run at least 5 days a week and always in the morning. I guess some habits are hard to break. What I'm trying to say is exercise has been a regular part of my daily life and I try to eat right on most days, minus an occasional cheeseburger and some ice cream. 
I have liked granola for breakfast for a while and in general it may seem healthy but the store boxes can be saturated with sugar. This granola recipe has only natural sugar, pure maple syrup. Just four ingredients in this simple, maple pecan granola, just four ingredients. If you can't get healthy with four ingredients, then we need to talk.
For today's healthy link-up, I am sharing this maple pecan granola that Sean and I like to mix with yogurt and fresh berries for our breakfast.
For this recipe, gather together your ingredients. 3 cups rolled oats, 1 cup chopped pecans, 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, 6 tablespoon maple syrup (not the pancake, fake syrup).

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place some parchment paper on your baking sheet. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats and pecans.

 In another bowl, pour the maple syrup and oil and then stir and mix until the two liquids are combined. 


Pour the maple syrup/oil mixture over the rolled oats and pecans and then stir until all the rolled oats are covered in the liquids. 

Spread the rolled oats on the parchment paper in an even layer then bake for 25 minutes. 



At the 20 minute mark, take the granola out of the oven and with a spatula flip the granola over for even baking. After the granola is completely baked, remove it from the oven then let cool. 

After the granola is cooled, break the larger pieces apart then serve with milk or yogurt and enjoy!
What makes this granola different than the store bought granola, first, it is has only one form of sugar, maple syrup and it is a natural sugar. Second, this recipe is vegetarian and vegan free for those out there. Also dairy free, soy free, egg free, etc, etc. So enjoy to your heart's content!
recipe found here



26 comments:

Cami said...

yUM! I am going to make some tonight :)

REBrown said...

I love granola!

I also love your new layout - very pretty.

Mellissa "Shia" Rondinelli said...

Yummy! I love making stuff and putting it in cute jars!

Shia

Kira said...

Yum! And I love how simple it is.

Anonymous said...

this looks so yummy!

Alexa said...

Oh that looks so good Meg. And you're right about the "diet" term...it feels too fleeting.

Helene said...

i adore your new blog look! and love granola, yum!

Heather said...

Yum! Sounds healthy and tasty!

Simply LKJ said...

I love granola, but have never tried making my own. This looks easy and delicious.

Nicole said...

Would be so yummy with some yogurt! So easy! thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

That looks so good!

CALLIE said...

This is so weird. I was just asking Kendol yesterday if he knew how to make granola!! I will be making this asap.

Unknown said...

Holy granola! I love this! It looks so yummmyyyy!

emi said...

such a great idea! thank you! i'll have to try making these now..XOXO
chaseandem.blogspot.com

Nicole-Lynn said...

Looks so yummy! My hubby would love it if I made him granola! I need to do that asap!

Nicole-Lynn said...

Looks so yummy! My hubby would love it if I made him granola! I need to do that asap!

Unknown said...

Yum!! This looks delicious. And I'm trying to get in the habit of running. It's coming... slowly, haha.

helen said...

oooh i LOVE granola. you are seriously full of talents, especially in the cooking/baking realm. :)

Elizabeth Ann @ Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box said...

LOVING your new blog design and this amazing recipe! :-) YUM! Granola is one of my favorites! :-)

McKenna Lou said...

This looks so yummy! I would love to make this in mason jars as favors for a bridal shower that I am hosting in a few weeks. Thanks for the wonderful idea! I am so glad I stumbled upon your blog! I will definitely be following you on bloglovin. xx. McKenna Lou
www.lynnandlou.blogspot.com

Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted said...

Yum! This looks tasty. I have granola every morning with my greek yogurt, although I've never made it myself.

Lindsay [rookie's nest] said...

I LOVE how you said the word diet implies something temporary when in fact it's more important to make eating habits part of your lifestyle. I completely agree and always try to adopt this mentality. Your granola looks fantastic! So glad I found your link-up! xx

Lindsay [rookie's nest] said...

PS LOVE the mason jar storage :)

Shannon Rice said...

That looks delicious!

Shannon
bigdreamsandexpensivetaste.blogspot.com

Sarah Alway said...

I hate that store bought granola is always so fun of sugar, so I want to try this!

Anonymous said...

Perfect timing! I was JUST thinking I'd like to give making my own granola a shot! Can't wait to try this on Saturday :)