Granola

Here's a new twist on granola: granola bread! FitSugar reader Actorsdiet posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe community group.

Learn how to make it after the break!

Some like it hot . . . some like it cold. During these brisk snow ridden months, oatmeal is almost irresistible. Unless, however, there's granola on the table. While I like both of the breakfast foods, I'm often partial to the chillier bowl topped with strawberries and bananas. Then again, a steaming porridge complete with pumpkin goodness is pretty hard to turn down. So perhaps knowing the nutritional value of each will help you and yours truly decide which one to turn to more often, especially for the duration of the seemingly long Winter season.

Ready to see the comparison?

FitSugar reader summer m shared her healthy breakfast in the Healthy Recipe Group.

Fresh fruit from the farmers market is the best. And Sunday mornings (the day after the market) are perfect for a fresh and simple breakfast of fruit, yogurt and granola. For this quick meal I mixed together some fresh strawberries, raspberries, peaches and fresh figs. Mixed the fruit together and topped my fat free plain Greek yogurt with them, a little Everything Granola and a drizzle of honey. Not sure it gets much better than this.

Sounds tasty and healthy! I would like to eat like this every day of the week — not just Sundays — but weekday mornings can be hectic. I'm wondering what you all had for breakfast this morning, and whether it differed from what you ate for your morning meal over the weekend.

I first encountered Attune via its wellness bars, which promise to deliver the probiotics of yogurt in a convenient bar. Since the bars don't really fill me up, I prefer old-fashioned yogurt. But since I love granola, I figured I'd give the brand another shot, with its Attune Probiotic Granola Münch.

This granola is designed to be eaten on its own, with milk, or atop yogurt for extra probiotic punch. The Münch comes in three flavors: chocolate granola with chocolate yogurt chips, apple cinnamon, or maple nut with vanilla yogurt chips. The chocolate seemed way too dessert-like for breakfast, so I went for the maple. To find out what I thought, read more

Granola is filled with sweet oaty goodness that not only satisfies your sweet tooth, but also fills your belly and gives you energy all morning. Bear Naked is one of my favorite brands because their products always test fresh, homemade, and are made with basic ingredients like oats, agave syrup, and almonds. If you're also a fan of Bear Naked, you'll be happy to see they came out with two new flavors of granola: Maple Pecan and Peak Flax.

To hear more about these tasty new granolas and see how they measure up nutritionally, read more

I love a little granola in the morning. It naturally sweetens my bowl of Greek yogurt, a breakfast staple loaded with protein but a bit on the sour side. Problem is, my favorite granola is packed with calories and fat. I decided to create my own recipe using a bunch of spices to add flavor without calories while omitting the oil which adds fat. I added warming spices, many of which can be found in chai tea: cinnamon (a granola must in my opinion), nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. My kitchen smelled divine as the granola baked, and I definitely cut a significant number of calories of the total calorie tally, as well as halving the grams of fat.

Check out the recipe when you read more

I've been hearing a lot of buzz around MixMyGranola (starting at $5 for 16 oz.). Stylist Rachel Zoe and granola lovin' Whitney Port are among its fans, and it was recently mentioned in the New York Times. MixMyGranola allows customers to create their own granola or muesli mix via its website. You start with one of the six granola bases like lowfat, cinnamon, or organic gluten free, and from there add any of the 79 different ingredients to your base. The ingredient choices include dried fruit like blueberries and goji berries, nuts and seeds like almonds and flaxseeds, nutritional power boosts like acai powder and bee pollen, and extras like sesame sticks and coconut flakes.

To hear what mix I made and how it tasted, read more

During the weekdays my breakfast routine is pretty standard — yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit. And while granola has achieved the status of being a good-for-you food, most of the store-bought stuff is loaded with hydrogenated oils. That's why I was stoked to find Back to Nature Classic Granola ($5).

I love how simple this granola is — rolled oats that are lightly sweetened with fruit juice — because it gives a basic foundation that I can jazz up. But the biggest plus is that it's made without using any oils. One serving only contains 25 calories of fat, not bad! It's a great way to get fiber into your diet, and it also contains a good amount of protein, iron, and magnesium.

To hear how it tastes read more

Did you know that granola is really easy to make? All you do is toss together a bunch of ingredients, stir, and bake. An hour later you'll have a healthy and delicious homemade breakfast or snack. It's so effortless that I've stopped buying granola at the store. Another thing that's great about making it yourself is that you get to select the ingredients. Doesn't it always seem like there's one item in grocery store granola that you don't like? Not so with homemade granola. If you hate raisins, simply don't put them in! To check out the recipe I use — remember it's a guide, so just follow the proportions and substitute your favorite nuts and dried fruit — keep reading.