One thing I’ve become convinced of over the years is that healthy eating does not equal gross, boring or hard to do.

In fact, our tastebuds have transformed to love and appreciate real, nutritious food over boxed/pre-made items. This is the essence of my blog. I want to help you shift your thinking away from convenience food and give you ideas for recipes you and your family will love, but are fast and easy to prepare.

This granola is a great example of how easy it is to go from Captain Crunch to a real nutritious and delicious crunch that will satisfy you much longer. This is my new favorite granola. I adapted the recipe from another and created my own Macaulay munch to snack on alone or team up with some yogurt and berries. I think you’ll agree that this tastes better than any sugary cereal.

1 C raw almonds
1 C raw pecans or walnuts
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes
Pinch of salt

2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/3 C pure maple syrup (the real stuff – no Aunt Jemimah’s!)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 C dried cherries or cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Roughly chop all nuts by hand. Place nuts in large mixing bowl and add chia seeds, coconut flakes, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. Pour over dry mixture and stir together. Granola should form “clusters”. Bake 15 minutes, remove and then add dried fruit, toss granola and return to bake another 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool, and then store in an airtight container.