Kitchen Play- Healthy Breakfast Granola

Being a mom of two, cooking easy and wholesome meals to nourish my growing family is a must! And who better to do this with than the little ones?

Using this time in the kitchen to connect and create with my kids while teaching them some culinary life lessons is another must for me. Breakfast, being the most important meal of the day and our personal favourite, is an easy meal to introduce this "kitchen play" to our kids.

Here is our tried and true recipe for Granola. It is a delicious way to get the day started for kids and adults alike, not to mention a feel good, since it is packed with essential fatty acids and protein. No pesky measuring required, just remember to have fun and taste test along the way!

You will need a big mixing bowl, one wooden spoon and two large cookie trays.

Rio's Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

-1 package whole steel cut oats
-roasted sunflower seeds
-walnuts
-flax meal
-hemp hearts
-chia seeds
-cinnamon
-nutmeg
-cloves
-olive oil
-maple syrup

Directions:

1. Pour oats into a large mixing bowl, then add to taste/preference all other ingredients.
2. Pour in a swirl of maple syrup and a few swirls of olive oil and stir, making sure most of the mixture is wet.
3. Heat oven to 275oF.
4. Pour mixture evenly onto cookie trays and place in oven for 20-25 minutes, giving each tray a stir around 10 minutes.

Just add milk or yogurt and enjoy!

Couple of tricks:

In a pinch, you can substitute Allspice for the other spices listed above.
My daughter is not a fan of big walnut pieces, so to hide them, I puree them, then add to the mixture.

For more inspiration with meal plans and some tricks for getting your kids to eat more vegetables, please check out these links:

www.yourkidstable.com

www.yummymummykitchen.com

10 Ways to Get Your Kids Off Junk Food - Huffington Post