Home Made Breakfast
March 25, 2008
Posted by CindyC in : Green Journal , trackback
Earlier in the month, there was a lot of talk about the sharp rise in cost of food, after a decade of stable prices for staples. Not that this should be news for anyone who’s been paying attention to their food bill. But with bread at $4 a loaf and (non-organic) chicken breasts around the same price, my friends (who are still in grad school) told me that the McDonald’s value meal options are looking better and cheaper all the time.
I guess it comes down to priorities. Although I didn’t officially take the Trim the Fat Challenge, like our friend Beany or Green Bean, I cut down on restaurant dining, rarely buy fancy clothes and stopped buying huge lots of toys for my daughter. Instead, I spend more on quality (not convenient or packaged) food for my family. Most of my produce from the farmer’s market, which is THE place for fresh, reasonably priced produce but I still rely on grocery stores for my cereals, meats and dairy. However, after paying almost $6 for a box of cereal (a must have in my house), I decided to try making my own. My mom gave me this great recipe for granola (adapted to include less sugar and coconuts from an old Sunset recipe). It’s easy, tastes great and ended up costing 30% less than the store-bought one. My husband says it’s more flavorful and stays crunchier than the store brand. I guess I’m going to start making my own granola. Maybe I’ll make some extra for my friends and save them from the fast food trap.
Oat Granola with Plenty of Nuts
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8 cups regular rolled oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups regular wheat germ
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup chopped walnuts
4 oz shredded coconut
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
Stir together oats, sugar, wheat germ, coconut, walnuts and almonds. Heat oil, honey and vanilla in a small pan. Stir until it bubbles and thoroughly mix the liquid with the dry ingredients. Grease 2 large baking pans (about 10×15 inches) and divide the mixture and spread it evenly on the pans.
Bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes at 325 degrees or until the coconut is lightly browned - stir 2 or 3 times during baking. Remove from heat and stir several more times while cooling. Wait until it completely cools and store in airtight container. This recipe should make about 16 cups.
CindyC at Organicpicks
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Comments»
My mouth is watering that sounds SO GOOD!
That does sound good. My fiance and I no longer purchase boxed cereal although we are both sugar addicts and we miss our Trix but the cereal we buy in the bulk bins is cheaper and better for the environment and if we need a little sugar we can always add some of our local honey.
Yum! I make my own granola - from the recipe my mom used when I was a kid. It is so much tastier than store bought, you can adjust it for what YOU like, you know what’s in it and can include some local ingredients and so on. Sounds wonderful.
Earlier this month I saw wheat germ in the bulk bins at the store and wondered where I could use it. Now I know. BTW, how do you eat granola? Do you eat it plain? I usually eat it with yogurt…
I also think its funny when the bulk bin granola is stored right next to the bulk bin rolled oats.
Another thing. I used to buy the organic bread at $3-$4 but found that they went bad (mouldy) really fast (unless I froze it). My husband began baking bread a few weeks back using the no-knead bread making technique and the bread loaf lasts an entire week. And we store it on the counter top. The bread recipe uses 3 cups of flour. At $22, 25 lbs of flour…the bread is a real deal.
Wow, making your own bread sounds great, though that sounds beyond my baking skills. I do have to put my organic bread (with no sulfates) in the fridge about 2 days after I buy it but as long as I pop it in the toaster for a tad bit, it still tastes good.