Rejuvenate with Breakfast

Granola and Persimmon with Rock Melon and Banana Yoghurt Blend

I'm officially drained. For the past week I have been dragging myself up from bed and getting ready for work at 5.30am each morning despite having slept only 5 hours (I think you know that I'm a pig by now, and pigs definitely need more than 5 hours of sleep a day!). Getting ready to go out in the morning means a big hearty breakfast for many people. I, on the other hand, have never been a breakfast person. It didn't matter that breakfast was supposed to be the most important meal of the day. I always believed that brunch was a much better deal - I could eat 2 meals at one go, and that saved me time, money and also quite importantly, calories. But ever since I made my own granola, things kinda changed.

Drizzle the Honey

There's something about a simple, one-bowl breakfast that refreshes me and gets me up for a new day. I love yoghurt. It's simple, it's yummy, it's healthy, it's just everything that a breakfast should be. But granola with yoghurt. Now that's more than everything! I like the additional texture that the toasted roll oats and nuts lends to the smooth yoghurt. It isn't something difficult to make, but it serves the purpose of perking me up and get me all set for work. And think of the extra jaw exercise you get to have. You wouldn't want a teacher who yawns all day would you? Even if I'm just a relief teacher.


Homemade Granola

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup raw almonds, whole
1/2 cup raw walnuts, chopped roughly
1/2 cup of mixed dried fruit, chopped (I used dried mango and baby figs)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp honey, warmed

- Preheat oven to 150 deg C.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Put rolled oats, nuts, dried fruit and spices into a large bowl and stir to mix.
- Pour in brown sugar and honey and stir to coat well.
- Pour mixture onto lined baking tray and toast in oven for about 25 - 30 mins or until golden, stirring occasionally to ensure even roasting and check for doneness.
- Allow to cool before storing in air-tight container.
- To serve, spoon over yoghurt or oatmeal porridge and drizzle with honey or maple syrup.


What I like about making my own granola is I can play with my own proportions and what I want to put in it. Of course it also means I can dump in my leftover grains and nuts and make something nice and healthy out of them! Don't like raisins? Chuck it! No almonds at home? Substitute pecans or cashews or whatever you have. Put heaps of what you like in and throw those that you don't. If you don't see yourself eating too much of this granola but would still like to experiment, simply throw in a handful of everything and mix well. The next time I make this again, I would definitely play with the different nuts and seeds to add to it. The more things I add, the more granola I have!