I love cereal.  When I was younger, it was breakfast every single morning.  I loved the crunch of the cereal mixed with icy cold milk.  If I was hungry for a snack I would have some cereal.  If I was feeling lazy, cereal became an easy lunch or dinner.  Saturday mornings were full of cartoons and sugary cereal.  And despite the fact that my mom made the rule of only one bowl of “junk” cereal on Saturday’s, my sister and I definitely had more than one.  Sorry mom.

Once I started eating better, I dropped boxed cereal.  Most cereal is full of sugar and other not so pleasant ingredients, even the so-called “healthy” ones.  There are a few good cereals out there, but they are few and far between as well as very expensive.  I decided that I could make my own cereal for half the cost and less ingredients.

Mission accomplished.  I love this cereal and it hits the spot when I am craving the crunchy goodness of cereal and milk.  It is also a great topping for oatmeal or just grab a handful as a snack! It isn’t overly sweet, but the chai seasonings make this granola full of flavor.  You probably have most of these ingredients on hand, so make some delicious granola!

Chai Green Tea Granola

• 2 cups thick rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
• 1/4 cup buckwheat groats
• 1/4 cup quinoa (uncooked)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (you can use raw, I just happened to have roasted on hand)
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 3 chai green tea bags
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup maple syrup (you can also use honey)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

 

1. Preheat oven to 250.  In a large bowl mix all of the dry ingredients, not including the tea and cinnamon.

2. In a smaller bowl mix together all the wet ingredients.  Cut open the tea bags and add into the wet mix.  Add in the cinnamon and whisk everything together until completely combined.

3.  Pour the wet mix over the dry mix and stir everything to coat it well.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat.  Spread the granola out on the baking sheet in a single layer.

4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.  Take out the granola and stir.  Bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  If the granola is still a little wet, bake for another 5 minutes.

5.  Take out of the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire rack to dry.  Once fully cooled place in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

There you go! Granola that isn’t full of a ton of sugar or unpronounceable ingredients or a small fortune.  I like to eat this with almond milk as well as sprinkled on top of cooked steel cut oats.  It doesn’t last long around here, so make sure that you have plenty to go around!