easy, cheaper-than-cereal granola

4c old fashioned oats
1c raw almonds
1/2c sunflower seeds
optional: coconut, chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds
1T salt
1/2c oil (coconut oil or olive oil)
2/3c honey
optional: vanilla and almond extracts
optional mix ins:

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then stir every 10 minutes until browned

The difference between old-fashioned oats and quick oats and instant oats is the size that the oats are cut. You want the old fashioned because they are more substantial.

I like to chop my almonds into smaller pieces but it's not necessary.

Add your dry ingredients to the oats, your almonds, sunflower seeds, optional items, and salt. Then mix together.

A word about coconut oil - this is the best oil for you. It's amazing for your skin but has incredible healing health benefits if you care to research it. Make sure you get organic oil that is unrefined and pure white. Otherwise you are missing out on all that goodness or if it is not pure white there is mold present (mixed in - yuck).

I mix all my wet ingredients in the same large measuring cup.

 It would probably be beneficial to use raw honey but at the rate my family eats this I use pasteurized honey to make it a little more cost effective. I figure that I'm cooking it at a pretty high heat anyway.

Mix it all up.

It's going to be pretty clumpy but still falling apart. Stick but not gooey.

Set your oven to 325. Line your pan with parchment (really... don't skip this step). Flatten the mixture onto the pan.

VERY important... set the timer for 15 minutes

After 15 minutes, stir it a bit, being sure to pull the edges in.

Again... VERY important... set the timer for 10 minutes.

It's a little bit browner, stir it again

yep.

And browner still... maybe just a little bit more (although it looks pretty dark in this picture... )

do it.

Pull it out of the oven and let it cool, be sure to pull all the granola onto the parchment paper otherwise you'll never get it off (in a edible form)

Oh, and this is the time to add the dried fruit or other mix-ins if you want them. If you add it first they will get too crunchy and dried out.

Happy husband, happy kids.