Make your own Granola for a fraction of the cost.

There are so many pre-made foods at the store that the easy way is to buy a box of this or a bag or that. I want the best for my family and the biggest reason I like to make my own food is so that I am in control of what goes into it. The best part about making it yourself is you can add things you like and omit things that you don't. I've been wanting to make granola for quite some time and finally got around to doing it. For a while I was buying a natural brand of granola which is very tasty and expensive. I made 96 oz. which is six pounds of granola for a fraction of the cost. It didn't take very long to mix it up, but took a while to dry it out, since I use a low heat method to retain the nutrients. Here is the recipe I used which I modified from the Coconut Lover's Cookbook.

Granola

6 cups organic old fashioned oats

5 cups organic shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup almonds, slivered almonds are easy

1 cup pecans, cut in pieces

1 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

1 cup honey

1 T cinnamon
1 T Vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt coconut oil on the stove with the honey.  When warmed add vanilla and cinnamon, stir until combined.  Add some stevia to it if you want it a little sweeter.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix well. Dry in oven at 250 degrees for an hour, stirring it every 15 minutes so it doesn't burn. For a raw version put in the dehydrator at 120 degrees until dried, about 24 hours. It makes a great topping for cobbler!