Chai Spice Granola

So far, this week has been pretty fun and exciting to me in probably the lamest way possible.  On Tuesday, I began Insanity: the Asylum.  The past few weeks after I finished Insanity, I've been mixing it up with bike rides, yoga, and a few random Insanity workouts here and there, to allow my body to recover before beginning the Asylum.  So far, I absolutely love it.  Each workout has been extremely different, which I love, and there's a lot more strength involved rather than just a bazillion explosive cardio moves like in Insanity.  It's a really nice change of pace, and I'm dripping in sweat pretty much the entire time - gotta love it!  With starting another vigorous workout program, I figured I should probably restock my protein powder; I've been out for weeks, now.  I ended up trying out Nitro Fusion's chocolate raspberry protein powder that's from a bunch of natural sources (and it's vegan).  Since I've been working at GNC, and I've been learning a lot more about protein powders, I figured this one would taste awful since it's made from pea protein and such, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good it tastes!  It's not overly expensive, either, so I'm pretty excited about it!

Since I've been working a good bit lately, I decided I ought to make some good granola to keep me going throughout the day; there's nothing worse than being at work hungry!  I decided to make a chai spiced granola - it's been something I've wanted to do for a while - and I am so happy with how this turned out.

Because I'm not a huge fan of cardamom, I went with a very subtle spice mix for this granola.  If you like it stronger, just increase each spice by 1/4 teaspoon.  I love the flavor of this, and it's the perfect mix of soft and crunchy.  I used both golden and regular raisins and a dried fruit mixture of prunes, apricots, pears, and apples, but use whatever dried fruit is your favorite, in the same amount!  Same goes for nuts and seeds.

This granola is perfect with a splash of milk, over some plain greek yogurt, or just by the handful.  It's full of healthy fats, slow absorbing carbs, and protein, so it'll keep you feeling satisfied for a long time.  Perfect! :)

Chai Spice Granola

makes about 2 quarts

4 cups oats

2 cups kamut puffs (or brown rice puffs)

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut

1 cup almonds, roughly chopped

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 t salt

1/2 t cardamom

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t cloves

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t pepper

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup coconut oil

1 t vanilla

1/4 cup (14 packets) truvia *see note

2 cups dried fruit (raisins, etc.)

In a large bowl, combine the oats, kamut puffs, coconut, almonds, sunflower seeds, salt, and spices.  Set aside.

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil, water, truvia, and vanilla together over medium heat, stirring until the coconut oil is melted and the truvia dissolved.

Pour the liquid mixture over the oat mixture, and stir until evenly coated.

Spread the oat mixture evenly onto two baking sheets, and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 minutes, until lightly golden.  Allow to cool slightly, and then stir in the dried fruit.  Store in an airtight container.

*Note: You can use 1/2 cup sugar in place of the truvia, or you can use 1/2 cup honey, and then lower the amount of water to 1/4 cup.