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Remember my list of 10 new things to try in 2011? I’m happy to report I’m making progress through the list, but I have to say that what’s left is a bit daunting! So far, I’ve made homemade granola and we’re in the process of eating from our pantry for the month of March.
I wanted to make (and hopefully continue making) homemade granola for a few reasons:
- My kids, my husband and I eat a massive amount of breakfast cereal ALL.THE.TIME. Granola can be a more filling and less expensive alternative to packaged cereal.
- When made correctly, granola can be super-healthy. With a basis of oats, nuts and fruit, there’s a lot of good and very little bad in a bowl of granola.
- My husband loves granola. He’s always wanting me to buy it at the grocery store, but I knew that making it from scratch would be a healthier and easier on my wallet.
- I’m always looking to give my kids a healthy boost with foods that they actually like. I have two picky eaters. I figured that, since they both love having cereal for breakfast, they’d also be just fine with granola.
My first try at making homemade granola for my family was met with mixed results. I used the Miserly Moms no-fat granola recipe, since I had read that that was a good, flexible formula for a first-time granola-maker like me!
I had a few misgivings about the recipe before I even started; dry milk and two tablespoons of cinnamon? I didn’t know what the dry milk would add to the mix, and two tablespoons seemed like an awful lot of a single spice. I figured that, since it was recommended by a few people, I should just follow the recipe and evaluate the final product.
I have to say that, while my husband liked the homemade granola I made, my kids and I just weren’t fans. Haiden and Piper aren’t old enough to articulate what they didn’t care for, but they each had a few bites then pushed their bowls aside and wouldn’t eat any more!
Personally, I found that the granola had an overpowering amount of cinnamon, and the amount of time I had it in the oven left it a little dark for my taste. I also didn’t like how soggy it got in milk.
My husband, however, loved the hefty amount of cinnamon in the granola, and he ate the entire batch within the next week! This has given me the confidence to persevere and try out an entirely new homemade granola recipe for the next time!
My sister personally recommended this Crunchy Homemade Granola recipe. She makes it often, and advised that the single teaspoon of cinnamon gives it just the right hint of spice.
I’m so happy I have a different (but still recommended) recipe to take another stab at making homemade granola. Since I have all the ingredients on hand, it also fits into my current try at eating from our pantry for a month!
I’ve commited to trying 10 new things in 2011! Here’s my list and everything that’s been accomplished so far:
Make homemade jelly- Sew a pillowcase dress for Piper
Start using a daily plannerMake homemade granola- Switch to the envelope system for budgeting
- Eat from the pantry for a month
- Sew a trucks & cars quilt for Haiden
- Become a Sneaky Chef
- Organize our toys
- Make Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day
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