The BEST Clustery Granola

Life, man. Phew! There have been so many transitions lately that I feel like I am drowning. As soon as I get into a routine something seems to change that throws off everything and the balance needs to be restored. Between kids, holidays, events, laundry, cooking, working out, work, etc. life just seems overwhelming most days. Instead of trying to keep swimming like is usually my motto, I decided maybe I should just tread water a bit until I can swim again... I just keep reminding myself there are 5 weeks until summer, I can do it!  

To make our lives a little less hectic, Matt and I decided to train almost entirely at home. I was noticing that forcing myself to make it to the gym because we pay so much was becoming more stressful than it was stress-relieving, not to mention I had about 20 minutes there on a good day and Matt and I were exchanging kids in passing and not seeing each other or spending time as a family. Switching to train entirely at home has been an adjustment, but it's what works for us at this time in our lives. It saves over an hour of driving for each of us and allows both of us to get training in and spend time together. It's not as much fun as training with people, but friends come over and we can push each other. Bottom line is the pros outweigh the cons with leaving the gym. We joined Street Parking- run by Julian and Miranda Alcaraz- it gives us some competition and a virtual community... I highly recommend it if you train at home! There are always options for equipment and scaling and the workouts are deceivingly hard. Follow them on Instagram for some great workout ideas! 

I have been making Paleo granola for years, but since I added grains back into my diet I wanted to play around with new recipes. This is by far the best clustered granola I have come up with. Is it healthy? Not so much, but wow is it good! It is sure sure coming camping with us this summer. 

The BEST Clustery Granola

- 4 Cups Old-fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1 Cup Chopped Raw Pecans (or almonds) 
- 1 Cup Dried, Unsweetened Cranberries
- 2-3 Tbsp Chia Seeds
- 1/3 Cup Melted Coconut Oil
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Maple Syrup (or honey)
- 2 tsp Vanilla
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- Heavy Salt Pinch
- *Optional* 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees

1. Melt the coconut oil, stir in the brown sugar and heat again (about 30 seconds in a microwave.) Combine all the ingredients in a larger bowl. Mix well.

2. Dump the granola onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes... on the final stir- press the granola with a spatula, this will ensure good clumps. 

3. Remove from the oven and let it cool at least 15 minutes- it will become harder as it cools. Break it into pieces and store in an air-tight container. 

The perfect school snack

A treat in Charlie's lunch with yogurt