I love granola. I can eat it by the bag, but it is one of those foods that seems like a healthy choice when you see it on the store shelf but despite the marketing label (organic! whole-grains!) it is usually riddled with added sugar and processed ingredients.

Hubby asked me if I would pick up a bag of granola from the grocery store and after reviewing all the ingredient labels, I couldn't find even one that didn't have an added sugar as the first ingredient. Now, don't get me wrong, I eat junk food sometimes too (I'm not a robot) it's just that I don't like when the foods that are supposed to be healthy turn out to really be junk food in disguise.

There is almost always a healthier alternative to any junk food we enjoy, so I did my research (aka Pinterest) like any good nutrition coach and found a healthy-ish recipe that I could adapt and make my own. You can find the original recipe I used here.

I like the idea of homemade granola because I can control the ingredients and I don't have to worry about any mystery additions. This recipe is so easy, even I could follow it.

healthy homemade granola plus a high protein berry parfait. save to your favorite Pinterest board for later.

Healthy Homemade Granola Ingredients:

3 cups of old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup chopped raw almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup raw honey (I used slightly less in an attempt to control sugar)
2 teaspoons melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix oats, almonds and coconut on a cookie sheet and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine the honey, coconut oil, cinnamon and vanilla in a separate bowl.
When the oats are toasted, add the toasted oats in the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a spoon.
Line a baking sheet with wax paper and form a single layer of the toasted oats.
Turn the oven off and then place the baking sheet back in the oven for eight minutes to continue toasting in the warm oven.
Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Store in a cool dry place (I used a mason jar).

They are not as cluster-y as the store-bought kind, but I'd dare to say even more delicious. But just like anything else with sugar (honey is a natural sugar), it should be enjoyed in moderation. This healthy homemade granola is a perfect topping for a yogurt berry parfait.

YOGURT BERRY PARFAIT

Ingredients:

Plain Greek Yogurt
Sliced strawberries
Blueberries
Homemade granola

Layer the yogurt, berries and granola for a healthy snack. Greek yogurt is high in protein, this makes an ideal post-run refuel with healthy fats, carbs, and protein.

Like this post? It helps me when you share with your friends and followers.

BUT WAIT...THERE'S MORE!

lea+genders+fitness+before+and+after.jpg

Flashback Friday: Running For Weight Loss Round-Up

If you have questions about running and weight loss, I’ve rounded up the blog posts to help you with answers. Why do I gain weight during marathon training? What to do when your weight loss plateaus from running. Are you running for performance, or running for weight loss? And why it matters that you choose one. I finish my personal story of how I used running as part of my strategy for permanent fat loss.

5 Qualities of An Effective Diet: Most Diets are More Alike Than Different

I had the privilege of sitting in on an intimate lunch seminar at the IDEA World fitness convention with the founder of Precision Nutrition, John Berardi. He spoke about popular diets and how they seem different on the surface, but if you dig a bit deeper you’ll discover that when executed in a healthy way, these diets have more in common than differences. In this blog post I share what I learned about popular diets, and qualities of an effective diet.

Weight Loss Myths That May Be Helpful

Weight loss myths can still be helpful if you examine them objectively, take the good from them, then disregard the misinformation. While these nutrition and exercise myths can be debunked, it doesn’t mean you can’t use parts of them to help you reach your goals.

Are Nutrition Buzzwords Killing Your Results?

As consumers become more health conscious, food manufacturers work harder to sell you their products, but is it healthy just because the package says so? Learn the common marketing tactics designed to mislead you, how to read the nutrition labels, and the five worst junk food disguised as health food offenders. Don’t let nutrition buzzwords kill your results.

Healthier Breakfast Ideas For Busy Mornings

If you think your mornings are too busy for a healthy breakfast, I challenge you to try one of these quick and nourishing breakfast ideas to start your day.

CBD Oil Made Me Feel Worse

I started taking CBD oil then hemp oil because I had heard many accounts of its anxiety and pain-reducing benefits. After a couple of months of increased anxiety I made the connection between the hemp oil pill and my depressed mood. When I stopped taking the hemp oil I felt an immediate improvement in my emotional well-being. My story is not typical, but I wanted to tell it to help others who may have had a similar experience.

Breaking Bad Eating Choices

Use these three simple strategies to break bad eating habits for a healthier lifestyle.

Nine-Week Holiday Challenge Week Six: Eat More Vegetables!

It’s week six of the nine-week holiday healthy habits challenge. Our mission this week is to eight 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. This post gives you tips on how to make vegetables taste delicious so you’ll want to eat more, and how to include more vegetables in your daily diet.

Nine-Week Holiday Challenge Week Two: Eat Protein at Each Meal and Snack

Welcome to week two of the nine-week gain fitness, not fat holiday challenge. Week is two is all about protein. The mission of this challenge is to end the year strong by cultivating healthy habits that pay dividends well into the new year. No heavy diet restrictions or extreme exercises in this challenge, just simple and sustainable healthy habits that you can work on all through the holidays. I hope you’ll join us.

Eat to Run: A Practical Guide to Pre and Post Running Nutrition for Optimal Performance

Learn about pre and post run nutrition for runners to achieve optimal performance. What should I eat before, during and after my runs? Learn more about healthy carbs, fats and protein meal and snack ideas, and meal timing guidelines. If you eat to run, you never have to carb load again.