Glorious Granola

I've often thought that a really useful class to teach in high school would be "How to Be Poor." Not how to become poor. Any fool with a credit card or drug problem can do that. Rather, how to survive and thrive, regardless of the size of your income.

When I was first married my husband was still in college and I only had a job on the weekends. My husband got a job at the campus bookstore, but it wasn't until after he graduated and our first son was born that he got a "real" job with a big company and perks. His salary was at the very tail end of the pay scale, but we were euphoric because our income tripled!

The saving grace for us was that my husband is by nature frugal and he's really good at budgeting. He'd give me grocery money and when it was gone, that was it till the next payday. For a while he told me that any that was leftover was mine to spend, until he found out that meant eating a lot of rice and beans. When he got a raise he gave me my own allowance. $10 to spend on myself, however I wanted. Every two weeks. Imagine the thrill of having money of my own in my purse! That stopped as soon as I got pregnant with my second child, but it was a heady period of feeling rich.

During those first years of marriage I learned a lot about being frugal. I also learned that it can be fun, rather than a hardship. There is a thrill to discovering a pair of designer jeans in a thrift shop for $8, rather than the $80 retail. It's satisfying to splurge and spend $4 for a rental movie and pop your own popcorn, rather than spending close to $50 to take the family to the theater. And it's gratifying to learn how to make something for yourself instead of paying retail prices at the grocery store.



Lately I've been playing with granola. I was stopped in my tracks at the grocery store when I spied a small, plastic tub of "organic" granola for $8. $8!! I mean, come on, I can do better than that.

I played with various recipes and came up with my own that my family really enjoys. Granola is a super easy thing to make and the great thing is that there is no "right" way to make it. You can play around till you find whatever way makes you happy. Once you find out how simple it is to fill a container with your own, delicious, nutritious, additive-free granola, there will be no going back to the dark side of paying retail again!

Note: My granola has almonds, which can be spendy. I buy the big bag at Costco and keep them in my freezer. They are the most nutritious nut available, so they give health benefits, as well as texture and great taste to the granola.

Another note: This makes a rather small batch of granola, perfect for a single or couple. It's also good to start small when you're first playing with it, so that you don't end up with a huge batch of something no one will eat. Once you've got it down, feel free to double the recipe, but be sure to use two sheets to bake it on. You may also need to increase the baking time 5-10 minutes.


Almond Vanilla Granola

2-1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick or instant oats)
1/3 cup flax seed (you can run them through a spice mill, or leave plain if you like the crunchy little bits)
3/4 cup chopped almonds
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 Tbsp vanilla sugar*
1/2 spent vanilla bean pod, ground (optional)
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp rice bran syrup**
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup dried fruit (my favorite is Craisins)

1- Preheat oven to 300 deg. F. Set rack in the center of the oven for a single batch, or racks in the upper and lower thirds for a double batch.

2-In a large bowl combine the oats, flax seed, almonds, cinnamon, vanilla sugar, and ground vanilla bean pod.

3- In a small bowl combine the oil, honey, rice bran syrup, and vanilla. Stir till well mixed.

4- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry and stir till their well combined.

5- Spread the oat mixture into a rimmed baking sheet.

6- Bake for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until the oats are golden. Remove the pan to a cooling rack. The granola will crisp up as it cools. (This is the most dangerous time. Lots of snacking occurs while it cools.)

7- You can add and stir in your dried fruit now. My husband prefers variety, so I don't add in any fruit. He selects raisins, dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries and stirs them in as he pours his cereal. Store the granola airtight at room temperature.

*Vanilla sugar is made by covering your used and rinsed vanilla bean pods in sugar in an airtight jar.

**I bought rice bran syrup for another granola recipe and wanted to use it up. It's quite nice, but if you don't have it, just use honey in it's place. For a vegan alternative, use rice bran syrup in place of the honey as well.