Remember when you couldn’t wait to be an adult so you could do “adult things” like finally having that downtown apartment with brick walls (but updated appliances), drive wherever you want (in that fancy car that you magically don’t make payments on), eat whatever you want (and NEVER get fat or pay the grocery bill), stay up however late you like (without living with constant bags under your eyes). Do fun things on the weekend like leisurely brunches with your squad, followed by strolling through farmers markets and buying as much avocado and papaya as will fit in your organic cotton tote. Or maybe lay in your super soft bed, wrapped in your pristene all white bedding, sipping on fancy pour over coffee and reading the New Yorker.

I’d say about 25% of those things are true to my “adult life”. For example, I do go to bed whenever I want. And what I want is a 9pm bedtime. And we do have all white bedding…but we also have to wash the comforter every other day because a certain dog does a certain dog thing on the bed.

Anyways. This brings us to this past weekend. We had to make a very boring, adult purchase. A dehumidifier. Normally, I’m pretty stoked about new household appliances (cute retro fridges, gorgeous gas ranges, and other small kitchen appliances that take up what little counter space we have), but a dehumidifier? Sigh. Well, at least my laundry is drying faster now?? Jesse summed it up pretty well as we stood in the check out of Home Depot – “We could have bought a Nitendo Switch”. I feel ya kid.

But now our downstairs bedroom is so nice and dry, I slept straight from my 9pm bedtime to my 5am rise and shine time. Maybe being an adult isn’t quite so bad.

Speaking of other things that change when you actually become an adult – your tastes. Now don’t me wrong, I still love crushing half a box Cinnamon Toast Crunch in one sitting, but that’s usually at 8:30pm, right before that bedtime of mine. But for breakfast, I prefer something a little less sweet. My go-to breakfasts include peanut butter toast with fresh fruit on top, plant based protein smoothie, oatmeal with the works, and finally, yogurt with my favorite naturally sweetened granola.

This granola recipe is a great because it’s so versatile. You can use just about any mix-ins, to make it your own personalized homemade granola!

Simple Naturally Sweetened Granola

What you’ll need

5 cups (450g) thick rolled oats
1 cup (100g) pecans, roughly chopped
1 cup (90g) almond slivers
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup (100g) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (140g) maple syrup

Baker’s notes

I find the sweetness level to be perfect with 1/2 cup maple syrup, but for an even less sweet granola, reduce to 1/3 cup maple syrup. If maple syrup is hard to come by around you, you can substitute honey, but this makes the recipe not vegan friendly.

You can really use whatever nuts you like, walnuts are very popular in granola, but I’m allergic so I don’t bake with them.

You could substitute coconut oil for the olive oil, but I wouldn’t recommend it. They have different consistencies and I find that olive oil is just better for granola than coconut oil and allows the oats to get flakey and crunchy without a ton of oily build up.

how to whip it up

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients by stirring gently with a spatula until evenly distributed. Then stir in wet ingredients, making sure each oat gets covered in the maple syrup and olive oil. Once your oats are looking nice and glossy, spread evenly onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment. Bake for 15 minutes, gently stir, then bake for another 15 minutes until oats and nuts are looking just barely toasty.

Now here’s the most important part for getting those nice clusters – let your granola cool completely before stirring. Once cooled, enjoy with fresh fruit and yogurt, almond milk or justby the handful. Store in airtight container. Will keep 2 weeks.

Additional Add-Ins

These add-ins should be mixed into the granola post baking
Chopped Dates
Dried Cranberries, Blueberries or Cherries
Chia Seeds
Dark Chocolate
Peanut Butter Chips

These add-ins can be mixed in pre-baking
Coconut Flakes
Pumpkin Seeds
Golden Flax Seeds

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