Just Call Me Stubborn...

...most who know me well, do.

...but I prefer Driven.

Have you browsed the cereal aisle lately? I mean, have you picked up boxes at random and tried to find a cereal without sugar? Seriously. It's unreal. My Mum was in Whole Foods over the holidays and asked the clerk for help finding a box of unsugarred stuff. No deal. Even our much loved Kashi has sugar...organic cane...but sugar nonetheless. It's enough to drive a mother crazy.

So what's a girl to do? Our kids still get "regular" cereal most mornings. That's to say the whole grain cereals we find that have the least amount of sugar. Honestly, we can't afford to pay $7+ for a small box of Kashi. Their bowls are topped by either blueberries, blackberries, or raisins every morning. Steel Cut Oatmeal is always an option but the prep time is a little longer than throwing cereal and fruit in a bowl. While the alternative is good, time is short when little bellies are hungry.
I hunted online for a great granola recipe...because granolas in the store are full of sugar, chocolate covered this-or-that, or other ingredients to make it "good". I am satisfied with what I found...so are the boys.

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Granola Recipe

1 cups whole wheat flour (I used whole grain organic Spelt)
3 cups rolled oats
½ cup coconut (unsweetened)
½ cup wheat germ (I used ground flax)
¼ cup water
½ cup oil
½ cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
Optional: 1 tbs Sesame seeds, ¼ cup nuts, and/or ½ cup dried fruit. (I used walnuts and almonds)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl (except for optional dried fruit).
Combine remaining ingredients in small bowl.
Mix together contents of both bowls.
Spread mixture evenly on two spray treated cookie sheets.
Bake for 1 hour, stirring twice during baking. (I baked about 1/2 this time and it was well done)
Cool; stir in dried fruit if desired.
Store in airtight container.

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Chock-full of any extra goodness I wanted to add: I included flax, walnuts, and almonds in our cereal. It's got a little olive oil and some honey for a slight added sweetness. Definitely a great find...and simple enough to make with the boys.
Oh - and does anyone else have anything to say about this new dusting of snow??!!