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Most people love granola, but what you might not know is how easy AND inexpensive it is to make at home. These three recipes were shared with me by a client, and I couldn’t help but share them with all of you! They’re all packed with whole grain oats, nuts and dried fruit and pure maple syrup which provide fiber, heart healthy fat and natural sweetness. You’ll see how tweaking a few ingredients can create a totally different flavor. Give them a try, switch them up to make them your own, and let me know what you think!

Chocolate Pecan and Vanilla Almond Granola

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These first 2 flavors start with the same base, then split it in half to make 2 totally different flavors –chocolate pecan and vanilla almond! Both are great on their own or on top of some plain low fat greek yogurt.Ingredients:

• 3 TBS vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 6 cups oatmeal
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup pecans
• 5 squares (60g) of dark chocolate
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 vanilla bean

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray large cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. Combine vanilla extract, salt, oatmeal and maple syrup in a large bowl. Split granola in ½ — into 1 batch add pecans and into the other batch add vanilla bean and almonds.

Stir to combine and pour out onto cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until dry. Add chocolate into the pecan version once it’s cooled.

 Nutrition Info per Serving (Serving size ½ cup):

• Chocolate pecan: Calories 303 | Fat 15g | Carbs 39g | Protein 6g
• Vanilla Almond: Calories 273 | Fat 11g | Carbs 37g | Protein 8g

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Orange Maple Granola

For an orange-maple twist, try this version that uses fresh orange juice and zest, and substitutes some of the oats for dried fruit:

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Dates
• 1/2 Cup Raisins
• 4 TBS Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch sea salt
• 3 tsp orange zest
• Juice of 1 freshly squeezed orange
• 1 Cup cashews, unsalted
• 1 Cup Sunflower Seeds, unsalted
• 1 Cup Almonds, unsalted
• 1 Cup walnut, unsalted
• 3 cups oats

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray large cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray. Combine vanilla extract, salt, oatmeal, nuts, orange zest, orange juice and maple syrup in a large bowl. Stir to combine and pour out onto cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until dry. Add dried fruit.

Nutrition Info per Serving (Serving size ½ cup): Calories 290 | Fat 17g | Carbs 31g | Protein 8g

Let me know what you think!

 What are some of your favorite granola combos??

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