Homemade Granola with Trader Joe’s

homemade granola with Trader Joes by Lunchpails and Lipstick, Jenna Crandall

We love granola in our family. It’s an easy snack for kids to reach for and it is full of nutrients. First you need to head to Trader Joe’s to get all your nuts! I pick up all my favorite nuts and berries and then decide which ones I’ll use when I make the granola. I like to keep a variety of different kids at home. My kids love this and eat it up! They add almond milk or eat it dry on the way to soccer practice.

Shopping List

Rolled oats, I get the gluten free bag from T.J.’s

macadamia nuts,pumpkin seeds,sunflower seeds,walnut pieces,pecan pieces,pistachios(without shell),sliced almonds,chia seeds,hemp seeds

cranberries,golden berry blend medley,raisins

honey,coconut oil,vanilla,maple syrup,coconut oil spray

homemade granola with Trader Joes by Lunchpails and Lipstick, Jenna Crandall

Measure 6-8 cups of oats into a bowl. Then spread them over TWO baking sheets in a thin layer. Do not grease the sheets yet. The oats need to toast for 10 minutes at 300 degrees.

homemade granola with Trader Joes by Lunchpails and Lipstick, Jenna Crandall

While the oats are toasting,mix up your wet and dry ingredients separately. Also make sure and spray your jelly roll pans with coconut oil (or oil of preference) after the granola comes out and is getting mixed with the other ingredients. You don’t want it to stick to the pans.

Mix wet ingredients together: 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup honey, 2-4 T. maple syrup, 2T. vanilla extract, and cinnamon to taste. I like a LOT of cinnamon so I will add as much as 1/4 cup. You may need to warm the oil a bit these to blend easily.

Mix dry ingredients together (minus the oats) in the biggest bowl you can find. I usually head to TJ’s and get every kind of nut and seed they sell. Favorites are pumpkin seeds,sliced almonds,pistachios,macadamia nuts,cashews,pecans,walnuts, hemp hearts. Just choose whatever strikes your fancy. As for measuring. I aim for about 1 cup of each nut and 1/2 cup of the smaller seeds.Mix all nuts and seeds together and then pour about 1/4 of the wet mixture over it and stir well.

By now your oats should be lightly toasted.Pull them out of the oven and turn oven down to about 250 degrees.Add the oats and mix in the rest of the wet ingredients. Roast for 2-3 hours.Your house will smell divine.

When I’ve determined my granola is roasted enough I let it cool for 30 minutes. Now for the FUN PART…customizing it! My favorites right now are blueberries,craisins, and mango. We love adding fresh fruit to it when we eat it for breakfast. Strawberries are a hit with my girls. I also love the golden blend of dried berries from T.J.’s. I make a couple different flavors for my kids. One batch will have chocolate chips and another will have fruit. This is definitely not paleo. I eat 80% of my life paleo. I love having homemade,healthy snacks for my family to eat. I will eat this once a week with almond milk when I feel the need carbs or I’ll snack on it when I have a sweet tooth. It’s really good!