End of the pandemic stay at home is in sight for us. Last year has been a tough one. It tested the last ounce of strength I had in my heart. We have been apart from our loved ones, constantly worrying about their safety. We were made to school from home adding further burden to the already filled plate. However, It forced me to think again find ways to solace. Much more women were forced to dropped out from workforce than men and for many more it pushed the career goals further away. Slowly but steadily, it is bringing about permanent changes, I hope will be welcomed.

It brought lots of changes in my life too, I was using every ounce of strength to help uplift my kids and husband and make their life easier and try to work on new project that I was falling behind on. I found enough strength to focus on my health and happiness. I had to cut back and take time to heal, help my children heal. I am so aware I am not alone in this daily struggle. Our details may differ, but it is true. Every one of us have felt the weight of the pandemic. What I didn’t stop was cooking. I still cooked recipes I love and experimented with my favorite ingredients. They just didn’t became posts. They were just photos and ideas on my notebook waiting to become posts. I am so sorry to I kept everyone waiting but I am so ready to end the wait, with a delicious breakfast recipe.

Our whole family love granola for breakfast. Its superfast, easy, delicious, and nutritious. I have only had one problem with it. I could never stop eating it and it got to a point I had to limit my sugar intake and I had to stop buying them. It was punishing until I stumbled upon this healthier version of granola made it my own. It does have some added sugar (totally optional), all the added and included whole grains and nuts makes it much more feel-good guilt free version of granola and It keeps me full so much longer.

Without further Ado, let us get to making it.

Steel cut oats granola

3 cup of steel cut oats

1 cup of almond flour

 1 tbsp of flax meal

1 tbsp of wheat bran

¼ cup of pumpkin seeds

½ cup of cashews

¼ cup of sunflower seeds

Pinch of salt

 ½ tsp of cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

¼ cup of raisins

½ cup of honey

½ cup of oil

Three 4 oz tubs of unsweetened applesauce

½ cup of water

Mix all the ingredients together. Spray a shallow baking dish or casserole dish with oil and pour the wet granola mixture in. Heat the oven to 375-degrees.  Bake it until dry and crumbly and golden on the edges turning halfway point. For me it took 40 minutes total with stirring halfway point. But keep any eye on it so it does not burn. Once baked let it completely cool and store in airtight container. It stays fresh little over a week in room temperature and longer in freezer. This granola tastes delicious either as breakfast or over fruit and yogurt as a dessert.

Here is to good morning and great breakfast!