Whats a healthy granola?
 

There is so much controversy over granolas...Which ones are the healthy ones? I want to mix it with yogurts.

Granola is sort of tricky, because a lot of it is made with HFCS, also it tends to be high calorie so if you're watching your calories you can't eat very much at a time, maybe 2-4 Tablespoons max in a pot of yogurt. You can actually make it yourself and it's really healthy and yummy. I make it with maple sugar, oats, cinnamon, ground ginger, wheat bran, raisins and almonds, it's fantastic. If cooking is not your thing, try your local health food store. Ours doesn't carry anything that has HFCS or hydrogenated oil in it so every thing they sell is healthy as long as you watch the portion size.

I second the homemade option. You can use Google for a recipe but once you get the basics, it's really up to you what you put in it, with the grains, nuts, dried fruits, etc. and you can do it differently every time. I love doing the homemade granola and also granola bars, just to get away from all the processed stuff. Granted, that's not always practical, but it's worth considering.

I like Kashi Go lean crunch...it is kind of granola-y.

I love Kashi! They do make granola cereals, and a wide variety of granola bars. They're a lot higher in protein and lower in sugar than most. If you got some of their crunchy granola bars and smashed them up, that would make a nice yogurt topping (I've done this with their pumpkin spice flax)

Here's a recipe my sister is trying out for a "Paleo challenge" she's doing with her gym. While I'm not a huge follower of the Paleo diet myself, this recipe is super high in protein/low in sugar and sounds pretty yummy. I might give it a try in the next few days....

This is a general recipe and makes a large batch. Each "bag" called for should weigh approximately 1/2 to 3/4 lb. You could also buy the supplies in bulk at a natural foods store.

1 bag sunflower seeds
1 bag SLICED almonds
1 bag walnuts/pecans
1 cup dates chopped
approx. 2 cups of coconut flakes (unsweetend)
1 lb mixed dried fruit of choice

Mix everything above together...

You'll also need:
1/2 cup coconut oil (use extra virgin if you want the coconut flavor use regular if not)
Vanilla (1-2 tsp. to taste)
Cinnamon to taste

On the stove heat coconut oil, 1-2 tsp of vanilla and stir in some cinnamon. Heat on medium until runny and warm. Pour over nut/fruit mixture and stir well. Spred on parchment paper on several cookie sheets and bake at 300 for about 30-35 mins. Watch carefully and do not let BURN! enjoy dry or with unsweetend almond milk!

Bear Naked Brand is a good one.

http://www.bearnaked.com/shop-bear-n...s/GN_FN_md.jpg

http://www2.kelloggs.com/ServeImage....91d98051a46d60

I third the Kashi GoLean Crunch. I was a big granola fan and find I really like this in my yogurt in the morning. 1/4 cup has 48 calories, less than a gram of fat, no cholesterol, under 50 mg of sodium. Actually, it's about as nutritious as the Bear Naked in the post above, but with about 1/4 the calories.

I actually didn't like other Kashi cereals, but I really do like this Crunch. It holds up in my yogurt!

Try graham crackers instead of granola
 

I like the taste of graham cracker crumbs in my yogurt instead of granola. Since one is only about 60 calories it can be a real calorie saver. Yogurt, berries and graham crackers. Yum.

The granola I listed above has fruit and nuts. I don't mind the slightly higher macros since it is less processed than most other cereals. ;)

Kelloggs Plain Lowfat Granola is probably a little more comparable to Kelloggs Kashi Crunch. 1/4 cup is 52 cals, less than a gram of fat, no cholesterol and 35 mg sodium.

I like the puffed brown rice/cracked red wheat in Kashi but I just buy it plain since 1 cup is only 60 cals, 14 carbs, no fat/sodium/cholesterol. I mix my yogurt into it instead of mixing it into my yogurt! :D

My head just exploded trying to figure out if it comes out differently between the two ways.

I lol'd! I just meant that the volume (1 cup) of the puffed grains makes it impossible to mix into my yogurt container compared to the 1/4 cup of granola I can mix in, so I dump the yogurt into a bowl and mix the puffed stuff into it. http://www.snay.org/smileys/laugh.gif