Make Your Granola Fit Your Mood

This plain jane granola recipe is perfect for customizing. Every time I eat it, I do so in a new and inventive way. So make it and get creative. There are so many possibilities!

Let's talk about moods for a minute. Today I'm feeling moody, and here's why: it's really easy to get discouraged as a food blogger.

I never got into this business (and yes, food blogging really is a "business") with the intention to make money. It really just started as a way to share the food and recipes I loved with family and friends--- it didn't matter how many views I got, what my photos looked like, or whether my recipes were "creative" and "original" enough for people to care to stop by--- what mattered was that when my two original readers (my mom and my husband) dropped by, they felt warm and welcome. 

By no means would I consider this blog popular, but I do remember when getting 18 views in a day felt like a lot (clearly I'm naive). The more this blog grows the easier it is to get caught up in the number of views I get each day and the money I am making, what my photos look like, how I compare to other food bloggers, etc.

And when I get swirled up in all of that blogger comparison and drama, I tend to get discouraged. We were talking about moods, right? I'm in a mood tonight because I feel so inadequate as a food blogger, and I haven't felt this way in a long time because I usually don't really care.

But the great thing about having moments like this is that they bring me back down to earth. They remind me of why I started this little blog in the first place. I started this blog because I love food. I reassure you that whether my posts get 5 views or 50,000 this blog will always be about sharing the best food with great readers... and I have really supportive readers, thanks! 

I sincerely hope that when you stop by, you feel like you're sitting right in my kitchen with me, having a little chat and sharing a delish dish. Oh, how I wish I could invite you all into my kitchen!

Now on to this granola. It's not a very clustery granola, which is why I make it because it is perfect for my homemade granola bars {recipe for those coming NEXT week}! If you want it to be more clustery just take out a cup of the old fashioned oats.

This granola is very "plain jane" for one simple reason: I like my granola to fit my mood. For example, tonight in my discouraged state I want to use it in a parfait with Oikos key lime greek yogurt, white chocolate chips, toasted coconut, and macadamia nuts (try it, please). That's the perfect combo for some healthy stress eating. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

On a day where I feel like eating extra healthy I might eat it for breakfast with some whole milk and pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and dried cranberries.

When I want this granola to have a fresher feel I eat it with greek yogurt and fresh seasonal fruit, like berries!

You get the idea. Store this granola in an air tight container for up to one week. Keep mix-in's like toasted nuts, seeds, coconut, dried fruits, chocolate chips, etc. on hand so that you can customize your granola to fit your mood.

Plain Jane Granola

Recipe Source: © Amanda Jenks

3 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups quick oats

1/4 cup golden flaxseeds *whole, not ground

1/4 cup butter

1/3 cup honey

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon almond extract *a little goes a long way!

Combine both oats and the flaxseeds in a large mixing bowl. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mats and preheat oven to 325˚F.

In a small saucepan, bring butter, honey, brown sugar, and salt to a boil stirring constantly. Let boil for one minute, without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and almond extracts. 

Immediately pour honey mixture over oats and flaxseeds. Stir until evenly coated. Divide mixture between prepared cookie sheets, spreading granola into a thin layer on each sheet. Bake for 14-18 minutes total, stirring every 5-7 minutes. Granola will be toasty and golden once it is finished--- be careful not to burn it!

Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

Serves: 15 (1/3 cup servings)

Calories: 170
Carbs: 28g