Survival Granola

I never thought I would be so obsessed with nap time, not my own, but my child’s. And not only for his well-being, but for my own sanity. The last time I took a nap was probably in grade school, unless you count falling asleep on trains and buses while travelling or an afternoon in bed with a movie after a night of hard partying. That sounds so incredibly indulgent to my ears now, afternoon napping, so luxurious, I can almost feel the pillow under my head luring me to sleep and away from the keyboard.

I don’t know how mums do it, so much seems to be accomplished during baby’s nap time, except for the fact that my baby seems to nap for twenty minutes at a time and not more. OK, maybe forty minutes, but still, where is all this sumptuous nap time people keep referring to?

So we must be strategic. Forget “sleep when the baby sleeps”, the second that sweet baby of mine is peacefully dreaming away I am off with my list. Brush teeth, check. Wash face, check. Change out of PJs, check. Breakfast, check. E-mails, nope he is up already. 

The cycle repeats itself on an incredibly successful day. Nap number two. Gabi 1 – Max 0. Emails, check. Read the news selectively, check. Make bed, check. Do laundry, check.

Sneaking in kitchen time is tricky, but there are some priorities whenever that happens and keeping us stocked on homemade granola is one of them. Any recipe that can be completed in a nap cycle is high on my list nowadays and this one is a winner.

Multiple granola recipes have made it into my kitchen over the years, but this combination of ingredients has led to the perfect chunky texture I always crave with just the right amount of sweetness.

When all you want is to curl up in bed and sleep forever, this granola makes it easier to wake up in the mornings. I have a small packet of it with me whenever I have to run out the door for a healthy snack or within hands reach when I am breastfeeding and cannot move for an hour. It is my Survival Granola.

Whether you have a small baby to tend to, five kids, a demanding job or a headache from having too much fun the night before, this granola will rescue you for another day. So do yourself a favour and be kind to yourself, take forty minutes and make this now, you won’t regret it.

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SURVIVAL GRANOLA  \sərvajvəl grənolə\

This is by far my favourite granola recipe. It provides a fantastic base for any additions you may want to mix it with. There are several more flavour combinations I have in mind, including brazil nut chocolate, ginger grapefruit or apple caramel…yum.  I ran out of it once and ended up buying an old processed granola I used to eat without thinking twice, but suddenly all the added sugar and preservatives tasted incredibly artificial, once you go survival granola, you can’t go back.

Makes about 5 cups

Survival Granola

Dry ingredients

3 1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup rye flour
3 tbsp buckwheat
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Wet ingredients

1/4 cup maple syrup, minus 1 tsp
1/4 cup honey, minus 1 tsp
1/4 light brown sugar
3 tbsp water
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract

The “goods”

1/3 cup almonds, chopped roughly
1/3 cup hazelnuts, chopped roughly
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped roughly
1/3 cup dried figs, chopped roughly
1/2 tsp of plain flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 170C degrees. 

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In another bowl whisk all the wet ingredients together until well combined. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until all the oats are coated. You can go in with your hands and press until the mixture clumps together. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the liquid to soak into the oats. 

In the meantime prepare your add-ins, what I call “the goods”. This is what elevates the granola, but also gives you flexibility in terms of whatever flavours you want to add. Put the chopped almonds and hazelnuts to one side. Put all the dry fruit in a bowl and toss with the 1/2 tsp plain flour, this will prevent them from sticking to each other once added to the granola. 

Spread the granola onto a baking sheet prepared with greaseproof paper and press down with the back of a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from oven and carefully flip over chunks of granola with a spatula then sprinkle with the chopped almonds and hazelnuts. Bake in the oven for a further 10 minutes. Once it has turned a nice golden colour remove from oven and let cool in tray for 5 minutes then slowly slide the granola with the greaseproof paper onto a cooling rack. 

Once fully cooled, break up the granola pieces into large chunks and mix with “the goods”. Enjoy with some yoghurt, fruit or your favourite milk. This also works great as a snack!