My eating is erratic. I only eat when I am hungry. Therefore, you would never find me eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner because of time indicated by a clock or a particular time of the day. What I always do though is to ensure that I am nutritionally fed and not simply filled up with empty calories. Empty calories is a term used to describe foods and beverages that are high in sugars, fats, processed oils and alcohol. They provide a lot of energy (calories) but little to no nutrition in terms of vitamins, minerals, fibre etc. One of the ways in which I eat healthy while getting the hit of something playful and snack-like is by making my own granola.
Making your own granola is not only easy, but it costs significantly less than purchasing it. Another plus is that you can control the amount of sweetener used and you can put in as much of your preference to personalize your granola. For the record, I am speaking here of loose granola that’s like a cereal and not granola bars.
Last year, at the end of the first month in lockdown, I started drinking my granola instead of eating it and that has continued to date. Actually, I prefer drinking my granola rather than eating it. The main reason is that I find it easier to digest the whole-grains, nuts and seeds in liquid form. As we get older, the body changes as does our metabolism. Food and drinks we once enjoyed at any time of the day or night we only now consume at particular times to avoid issues related to acid reflux, heartburn or indigestion. As we strive towards maintaining a healthy diet, we must seek ways that work best for us when it comes to eating and drinking. For example, I try to finish eating by 7 pm so that I have a longer period of digestion at night. What works for me or someone else does not mean that it will work the same way for you, therefore, take every suggestion and idea and test it before fully committing.
Years ago, I tried overnight oats – a no-cook method of making oatmeal where the raw oats are soaked in milk overnight in the refrigerator. It results in the oats breaking down and softening. It can then be topped with honey, nuts, fruits, just as you would with cooked oatmeal to be eaten. When I ate it, all was okay but then for hours after, I had heartburn. Not one to easily give up, I decided to blend the overnight oats. The blending, breaking down of the raw oats improved digestion but there was still some heartburn. Raw oats was not working for me; cooked oats on the other hand, no issues.
Getting back to drinking my granola. Granola unlike regular oats consists of not only whole rolled oats but seeds, nuts and dried fruit. It is a dish that is full of nutrition, especially when made at home where you can control the sugar-sweetener content. Homemade granola is typically a good source of vitamins and minerals. As I mentioned earlier, the main reason for drinking my granola is for easy digestion because not only is there the cooked oats but also seeds such as pumpkin, sesame; nuts like walnuts and almonds; and dried fruits like raisins, cranberries and apricots. Blending my granola with a banana for sweetness and texture along with milk and a little water or a few cubes of ice makes this a meal in a glass. It is filling and nutritious and keeps me up for a long time.
Most of the time I drink my granola as a cold drink because I would soak the granola overnight with the milk in the refrigerator to soften everything for a smooth blended drink. This is totally optional and a personal preference. You can simply add all the ingredients to your blender, and blitz immediately until smooth. On the other hand, you can heat the milk, pour it over the granola and banana and blend until creamy smooth. When done this way, you will find the texture more like thick porridge than a shake (when done cold).
If you’re looking for a nutritional drink to start your day or for a liquid lunch, then try a granola shake. If you can handle it in the evening, go for it. Personally, I cannot drink the shake at night, it is too filling and because it is packed with whole ingredients, it takes longer to digest.
To make the shake, there are no specific amount of ingredients. Simply add as much or as little as you like to make it your own. I use a heaped cup of granola (sometimes a little more), 1 and ¼ cups whole milk, ½ cup tap or cold water or 4 ice cubes and 1 large banana.
INGREDIENTS
● 4 cups whole rolled oats
● 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
● ¾ teaspoon fine table salt
● 1 cup whole raw almonds, roughly chopped
● ¾ cup pumpkin seeds
● ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
● ¼ heaped cup of raw white sesame seeds
● ½ cup canola oil
● ½ cup honey
● ½ heaped cup raisins
● ½ heaped cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped if whole
● ¼ cup apricots, finely chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with the rack in the middle.
2. Line a 13” x 18” sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.
3. Add the oats, cinnamon and salt to large bowl and toss well to mix, then add the almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts and sesame seeds. Again, toss well to mix.
4. Pour oil and honey (in the exact order) into alarge cup and mix thoroughly, then pour onto the oats-nuts-seeds and toss so that they are thoroughly coated.
5. Transfer the mixture to the lined baking sheet and use a spatula to spread it out evenly.
6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes. Halfway through the cooking process, toss the mixture and spread it out evenly and let continue to cook for another 15 minutes until done. It is okay if the mixture is a little sticky when you take it out of the oven. Don’t worry it will dry when it is cooling
7. Remove the pan from the oven and immediately add the raisins, cranberries and apricots and toss to mix and spread out evenly. Place the pan with the granola on a wire rack to cool; toss every 10 minutes and keep spreading it out evenly to cool. When completely cool, place in an air-tight container and store at room temperature.
Notes
● The main ingredients in granola are whole rolled oats and some dried fruit. Use whatever nuts or seeds you have or like, same for the fruits.
● Play around with the spice flavourings as well
Cynthia
cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
