The Perfect Healthy Fall Granola

My all-time favorite go-to healthy meals come from Olympic long-distance runner Shalane Flanagan and nutrition coach Elyse Kopecky’s book Run Fast. Eat Slow. It’s chock full of recipes perfect for runners or anyone wanting delicious, made from scratch meals that don’t take much brain power but are sure to keep you on track with any healthy lifestyle goal.

Go to any supermarket and you will be hard-pressed to find a granola or cereal recipe that isn’t laden with sugar as one of the main ingredients. The honey in this recipe does add some sugar, but not the white processed kind that does nothing good for our bodies. If you’re working out, it’s important to get some natural sugar and carbs into your diet in order to sustain yourself and recover after those grueling workouts. I also love the rich, warm fall taste that the ginger, cinnamon, and molasses add to this recipe. I generally stick to the recipe pretty closely, however, feel free to mix things up with different dried fruits, nuts, seeds, etc! I love to eat mine as a snack or for breakfast over 2% Greek yogurt with fresh berries or just a small serving on its own with unsweetened vanilla almond milk.

Ginger-Molasses Granola Recipe
(Credit: Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan & Elyse Kopecky)

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if sensitive)
• 1 cup finely shredded unsweetened dried coconut
• 1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (darkest variety, which has a stronger flavor and more minerals than regular molasses)

Preparation

1. Position rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 275°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins or dried fruit, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
3. In a small microwavable bowl, stir together the coconut oil, honey, and molasses and microwave on low until slightly melted. Or melt in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour over the dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined.
4. Spread out in a thick layer on the baking sheet. Bake, gently stirring every 15 minutes, until lightly browned, 45 minutes. Granola will still be moist at the end of baking, but will morph into crunchy goodness once it cools completely.
5. Store in a glass jar with lid at room temperature. Granola will stay fresh for several weeks and likely be devoured long before expiring.

This recipe is from Run Fast. Eat Slow. by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky. Copyright © 2016 by Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky.

I guarantee if you try this recipe you won’t be disappointed and you definitely won’t miss any of that refined white sugar!