Penelope and I made granola today. I cleaned out the pantry and scrounged up ingredients I thought would make some good granola.

Homemade Granola

3 Cups of Oatmeal
1 Cup of dried Banana
1 Cup of dried Pineapple
1 Cup of shredded Coconut
1 Cup of chopped Mixed Nuts
1/2 Cup of Sunflower Seeds
1 Cup of Chocolate Chips plus a handful for good measure. ;)
About a teaspoon of Nutmeg
About a teaspoon of Cinnamon
1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil melted
3/4 to 1 Cup of Maple Syrup
We also added some Salmonberry syrup for an Alaskan twist. :)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients and make sure all the dry ingredients are well coated. Spread mixture about 1/2 inch thick on a cookie sheet that has been lined with foil. Bake in oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let cool. I then turned the entire cookie sheet over on a large cutting board and lifted the foil off and broke into pieces and placed in an air tight container.

This should keep for a couple of weeks, it's great for snacking or as a topping on yogurt. You can add any type of dried fruit or nuts that you like. Raisins and Craisins are a great addition. You can also play around with the seasonings adding whatever you think sounds good. I used coconut oil because I had it but you can substitute the coconut oil for Canola and substitute the maple syrup for honey and add a little brown sugar. Dark chocolate and dried cherries would make a yummy addition or maybe you want to add some peanut butter or mini marshmallows although these would probably give it a more chewy texture. The possibilities are endless. By the way Penelope loved her granola and I had a hard time getting her to stop eating it, she kept asking for more.