Banana Flaxseed Granola

Good Monday morning! Man the weekend sure went by fast, but at least the weather was nice. The weekend was spent doing various projects around the house and packing up some items for our annual family vacation. We are all counting down the days until my brother flies in from California to join us on our vacation. I haven't seen my brother since Christmas so I am really excited to see him!

In between various projects and resting as much as possible to heal up I baked up a healthy snack. It's no secret that I love granola and I love experimenting finding new granola recipes. When I was putting this recipe together I was doubtful it would turn out, so when it actually tasted good I was very happy. I will using this granola to put in yogurt, oatmeal and packing it by itself for a yummy healthy (and guilt free) snack.

Banana Flax Granola

• 1.5 cups (GF) steel cut or old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup flax seeds
• 1/3 cup unsweetened organic coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon slivered almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon organic honey
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cook spray or spray baking sheet with nonstick cook spray.

In a mixing bowl combine oats, chia seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, slivered almonds and cinnamon.

In a separate small mixing bowl mash the banana. Add in honey and water. Stir until the mixture becomes fully combined- it should be very liquidy. 

Pour banana blend over dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently toss mixture, ensuring all the dry ingredients are equally coated.

Dump granola onto baking sheet and use rubber spatula to spread it evenly across the sheet. It should be a thin layer when done.

Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to break apart, flip and stir granola every 10 minutes so everything browns evenly.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before breaking apart. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.