You open your eyes and squint blearily at the clock.
Ten seconds later, your feet have hit the floor and you are running all over your apartment, madly gathering notebooks and pencils and odd articles of clothing. You slept in a bit, and 8:35 is alarmingly near.
In the scramble, what do you do about breakfast?
Skip it? No, because you have back-to-back classes until 1:30, and the last thing you need with exams coming up is a blood sugar crash. Skip class? Equally unthinkable! Bag packed, you calmly nosh a quick bowl of homemade granola, put on your coat, and make it to school in time to slide into your seat just as your professor is starting her lecture.
You did remember to make homemade granola, didn’t you?
Apple-Cinnamon Granola
I like to make a batch of granola every few weeks—it’s far less expensive than buying it, and I can vary the sweetening, fruit, and nuts according to how I feel and what’s on sale. Experiment!
- 4 C rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
- 1 T cinnamon
- 1/3 C butter or coconut oil
- 1/2 C maple syrup
- 1 C dried apple, torn into small pieces
- 1 C chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a large bowl, mix together the oats and cinnamon. Meanwhile, melt the butter or oil with the maple syrup. Pour this over the oats and stir thoroughly. Spread the mixture in a large baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake it, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes. Let cool, then stir in the apple and walnuts and store in an airtight container.