Can someone come by and help me put the tree up? I really wanted to get it up before t-giving but that just didn’t happen. Logan’s fall semester is wrapping up so it’s getting all CRAY CRAY on him. Which means very little Logan until exams are over.
You know… if you could actually just climb into the back of the closet and get the Christmas stuff out that would be peachy! You don’t even have to stay to help me put it up. I’ll make you taco? Why a taco? Because who doesn’t love a taco. I’ll play Christmas music and dance around for you too. Uhh well… maybe not. With the mad dancing skills I have you are more likely to fall dying with laughter and then hate me because you’d get hurt. I completely suck at dancing. So we should probably just stick to a taco and me standing quietly while you find my tree and decorations… somewhere in the back of the closet. I don’t know. Logan put it there.
But really can you just come over already?
Well while I wait for you to get here I think I’ll stick my face in another bowl of this granola. Mmmm granola. For the record, I really don’t feel like granola has a specific time of day it’s “correct” to be eaten. Such as steak. Steak uuusually is for dinner. Scrambled eggs are uuuuuusually for breakfast. Granola…. morning noon and night. Amen!
It’s the perfect food as it can be seen as a meal, snack, or topping. How many foods/dishes can do that? Well this granola is awesome, and completely and utterly out of this world. It really does have the essence of it’s name…. banana bread…. yet it’s not overwhelming. It’s also PACKED full of goodness to get your day started or keep/get your day rocking!
Oats, bananas (duh!), nuts and seeds – hello! Here comes some delicious energy your way.
This was my first attempt at granola actually. I had similar feelings to those I had with salsa in that I thought it would be too much work or that my store bought was some how still going to be superior. Noooooooooo. Wrrroooonng! It’s super easy, customize-able to the max, and baby it’s delicious!
I could seriously live in the kitchen for the next month pumping out a completely new flavor of granola every single day because it is just that versatile. If you have a nut allergy, skip the nuts, add more seeds. Make it as sweet as you like or add in some dried fruit for even more flavor combinations. Do as your little kitchen hands & heart desire. Just make some granola already!
This banana bread granola has just enough sweetness without actually being sweet, so it made me feel even better about noming on it. And I think you’ll be impressed that it does in fact taste of banana bread yet is still crunchy and all granolaeeee. I was kind of nervous about the bananas making for mushy granola and not allowing for that great, cluster happy crunch that I always look for. But everything melded perfectly and made for a great new take on granola that’s packed with nutrients.
In the first batch of this granola I used aluminum foil instead of parchment paper – baaaaaaaaad idea. Granola =’d Burnt Mess. So this is one of those occasions where the lining chosen for the pan is CRUCIAL. Do not go rogue with aluminum foil. Do not do it. Even though my first batch had a very short lived life my house smelled aaaaaaaaahhhmazing! No candles needed here thank you very much – I’ve got banana bread granola making my house smell oh so good.
What I also love about my new found obsession… granola… is that it really is straightforward and easy. There’s very little prep if you can even call it that and you just lay if flat and bake. It takes me longer to pick out a flavor at the grocery store.
One more mega reason you should really get your homemade granola on is the lower sugar aspect. Store bought granola is really just a bag/box of sugar. Honestly, it’s sugar laden. Check it out! It’s right up there if not past the amount of sugar in candy. WHOA!! Wake up call! Plus granola is pretty pricey. AND you have to stand in line to buy it. Granted you might be standing the whole time at your oven in excitement over this granola, but that’s a much better place to be if you ask me. Home sweet home with banana bread granola… now that’s my kind of day.
Ingredients:
- 2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup or more maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if desired)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, mix mashed bananas, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla and cinnamon until incorporated. Add remaining ingredients (oats, pecans, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds) and toss until well coated and mixed. On a large, parchment lined baking sheet, spread granola mixture into an even flat layer. If you have to, use two baking sheets so that the granola is not overly crowded.
Place in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring at least once half way through. Granola is done when it’s dry and golden.
Allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
NOTES: The more you stir the granola the fewer clusters you will have. Keep an eye on your granola while baking as it can brown easily. I would recommend checking the granola around the 20 minute mark and then there after.
