Homemade & Healthy Honey Granola

My dad recently changed his entire diet to lead a healthier lifestyle. We no longer eat pork or beef at home, and all snacks must be healthy. One snack that my dad has always loved eating is Quaker 100% natural granola, and for the past couple of years, we've purchased this item at Costco. Very recently, our local Costco has stopped selling this cereal, so my dad has gone through several different kinds of granola, but none of them seem to compare to Quaker's.

I was watching the Food Network one morning (my TV is permanently set on this channel) and saw Tyler Florence making homemade granola. This inspired me to make up my own recipe because granola is a great, healthy snack. I thought my dad would love this, especially since he no longer can find granola that he likes and he's always looking for something healthy to snack on while at the office.

Ingredients

• 2 cups Quaker oatmeal
  
• 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
  
• 1 medium apple, finely sliced


• 1/2 cup Kretschmer wheat germ


• 1/2 cup raisins


• 1/2 cup Sue Bee honey


• 1/2 cup water


• 2 tbsp brown sugar
  
  

Preparation

Combine oatmeal, raisins, brown sugar, almonds, wheat germ, and apples (read note below) in large mixing bowl.

Mix honey and water. Pour into dry mixture. Mix thoroughly until all dry ingredients are evenly coated with honey mixture.

Spread into baking pan. Be sure to spread the mixture as thin as possible to ensure even toasting.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 1 hr 15 minutes. Turn frequently to avoid burning and for even toasting.

Notes/tips/recommendations

• Slice apples as thinly as possible. If you don't slice them thin enough, they will be soggy rather than crisp. You might want to use a very sharp knife to do this. This is how I sliced my apples:



• I put wheat germ in the granola because of the added health benefits. Wheat germ is high in vitamin E, which is good for your heart and immune system. I was originally going to add flax seeds, but we ran out, so I looked for the next best thing. When the wheat germ toasted, it added a nice little crunch.


• You can use maple syrup in this recipe if you please. Both are considered healthy sweeteners, but I didn't have any maple syrup at my house.