Warrior Food: Cranberry Walnut Granola

This weekend I participated in the Bold r Dash at a local ski mountain. I'm sure everyone has similar 5k races with obstacles in their home town. It was such a blast! Never in a million years would I have thought I could complete a 5K never mind a 5K with military obstacles that seemed impossible. By the end I was covered in mud, wet, with a huge smile on my face.

Me & My Hubby!

In preparation for this race, Toby and I hosted a breakfast before the big race. Eating a huge breakfast before running and jumping over barriers didn't sound appealing so we opted for an easy light breakfast: A yogurt bar!I was trying to think of an easy breakfast that we could easily put together and was healthy and delicious. For the bar, we put out plain and vanilla Greek yogurt, berries, honey, and the home made granola.

The Mud Maniacs at the finish line!

Granola is one of the easiest and cheapest things to make. You can literally add whatever you want to it and it be delicious. I used unsweetened dried cherries and walnuts. I also made a vanilla almond granola. Granola is so expensive when you buy it at a market so why not control the ingredients in your food and add whatever you want to it for a cheaper price? Might I add, some granola has over 400 calories in just one cup. Holy crap! I would rather have french toast!

What's your favorite type of granola?

Cranberry Walnut Granola 

 

Makes 8 cups, From Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• 2 cups sliced almonds
• 1 1/2 cups dried cherries, chopped
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup good honey
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Toss the oats, coconut, almonds, and cherries together in a large bowl. Pour the vegetable oil and honey over the oat mixture. Add the cinnamon, and stir with a wooden spoon until all the oats and nuts are coated with the liquids. Pour onto a sheet pan. Bake, stirring occasionally with a spatula, until the mixture turns a nice, even golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool, stirring occasionally. Store the cooled granola in an airtight container.