I am not a huge breakfast fan, most of the time I roll out of bed with enough time to shower and get ready for work. Honestly, I would prefer an extra ten minutes of sleep over preparing and eating breakfast. This comes back to bite me in the butt when I am starving by 9:30 am and find myself snacking on Swedish Fish…although I love me some gummy goodness; this snack is obviously not the wisest choice! When I signed up for the 10 in 10 Challenge, I knew I wanted to start eating breakfasts that would keep me fueled and full until noon. I also knew that I would need quick, easy options that are also portable…meaning something I can grab, go and nosh on at my desk.
Last weekend I purchased a few containers of Greek yogurt on sale, so I thought I would whip together some homemade granola to layer with the yogurt and some fresh strawberries. If you have never tried Greek yogurt, you need to…it’s thick, creamy and super high in protein which keeps you satisfied much longer than regular yogurt. The granola recipe is very easy to make and keeps for quite some time in a sealed container.
The beauty of this granola recipe is that you can add in whatever you have on hand. I used what was in my pantry, but will definitely be making this again with a different combination of dried fruit and nuts. I think this would be amazing with dried apricots, cherries and pistachios, so that is the next combo on my list! These little parfaits turned out to be delicious, filling and satisfying and definitely beat the heck out of the ones from McDonald’s!
Homemade Granola
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped almonds
Method
In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and coconut; set aside. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, oil, honey, maple syrup and cinnamon; bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over oat mixture; stir to coat. Spread in a large shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool. Add raisins and dried cranberries. Store in an airtight container.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Yum! Your granola looks wonderful. Greek yogurt has been my go-to breakfast for the Ten in 10 challenge… I think I'll have to make some granola to add to mine.
Inspiring! I just discovered Greek Yogurt a bit ago and now the Greek Yogurt consortium should be paying me to market for them. Trader Joes Greek Yogurt is the best I've tried so far, Mango/Apricot.
As Jen just said, I have to go add some granola now!
I've been on a homemade granola kick lately too, but was just using plain European whole milk yogurt up until today. We tried the whole milk plain Greek yogurt from trader Joe's and it was smooth (less sour). I didn't know it had more protein! That's awesome.
I eat thick greek yogurt daily. Love the flavor, the high protein and the fact that it sustains me. It is like a creamy custard without the guilt. I sweeten mine with some stevia and then stir in peanut butter. Your granola looks great! I am loving the Ten in '10!
When I am traveling and cannot find my thick greek yogurt I strain regular yogurt with a cheesecloth:
http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/blog/2009/10/28/quick-thick-greek-yogurt/
Oh, I have to make this. It looks great. I don't like breakfast foods like eggs, sausage, etc…, but this would be perfect. I will keep you posted on how it turned out.
Wow! Your photos are so clear and crisp! I'm wondering what were your settings for these photos? The granola looks fantastic as well.
This looks SO good! I have all the ingredients…almost
Thank you for this recipe! I have been eating Greek yogurt for a while and always add in granola, but have been wanting to make my own. A lot of the recipes I have found are complicated or have 20-something ingredients, so this is perfect! I'm going to make it tomorrow. Thanks!
Great breakfast option. I have to eat breakfast, it is my favorite meal of the day. I usually have oatmeal, but I will have to make this soon! We make our own yogurt and it is the best!
Definitely better than Swedish fish. I love Greek yogurt and stir just about anything I have on hand into it. Your parfait is lovely!
Never thought about making some homemade granola before. I might have to this weekend and pick up some greek yogurt too.
Cranberries and raisins sounds great together, even if it happened only because it's what you had on hand! I just made granola bars with chai spice and dried peaches that were also delicious.
This is a picture perfect breakfast. I love that you made it with Greek yogurt. It's the most amazing yogurt ever!
granola and greek yogurt. One of my favorite breakfasts – I have it a few times a week! your granola looks beautiful!
I'm too lazy to prepare anything fancy for breakfast. My breakfast is always cereal with milk and on weekends porridge and I've been doing that for years.
I totally feel you about 10 minutes of sleep over getting up and making breakfast even though breakfast food is my favorite. Looks and sounds great. Plus I love Greek yogurt!
This looks great! I need to eat breakfast more often too. I'm so bad in that area.
I love the sound of your granola.. it looks so pretty too. I havent made granola in ages, I should try this one.
Mmmmm, that does look like an awesome start to the day. This would be a great for the kids. Mine like yogurt and granola but layered in that mini trifle dish which by the way is insanely cute I think they'd like it them even more!
~ingrid
Just made this following your recipe and wow does it smell delicious in the house right now.
Taste test later!
Thanks!
x
I am in LOVEE with your new layout.. Wow! Makes me want to change mine too
Great way to jazz up and beautify a breakfast staple. I’ve never made homemade granola, though!
I made this granola for my family and its been a major hit. I eliminated the coconut and raisins as we don’t like them so much. Made up for it with extra nuts and dried blueberries. I get a request to make this every week now. We just zip it up and much on it all week. Ha, who am I kidding, my girls devour this in a couple days. Thanks for the great post, you’ve made my home smell wonderful lately.
Thanks for the easy granola recipe! It was DELICIOUS! Plus, I had everything on hand! Double win!
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!!
-Jamie