Hi, y’all! Hope everyone is having a relaxing and cozy Sunday. For those of you that don’t know my name is Josie and I’m a dietetics student at Ohio State University. This blog is a part of an opportunity given to me by the university to explore new areas of my career. My goal is to give you some tips to feel amazing with the help of some recipes created by myself and other tips and tricks I’m discovering along the way. But enough of that!
With Thanksgiving just around the corner (my all time favorite holiday) I’ve been craving all things pumpkin, even for breakfast. And all the pumpkins spice lattes in the world won’t do the trick. So I cam up with an idea for pumpkin granola. Its got all the classic granola components with the added twist of fall. 
I’ve been enjoying it over my favorite yogurt for breakfast or as an easy snack between classes. It’s has nuts and seeds that contain healthy fats and keep me full during the mid afternoon lull, cranberries for sweetness, and oats for carbohydrates that provide long lasting energy.
Seasonal foods are a great way to mix up your normal routine and keep things interesting. Since I’ve been in college, I’ve noticed that I fall into foods ruts and eat the same things for weeks on end. As time goes on I get bored with out even realizing it and am looking for a snack with in the hour of eating dinner. When I moved into my apartment in August I made a deal with myself to try new recipes or switch up something in my diet every week. A few weeks ago I came up with this one and just had to share! Hope you enjoy!
Fall Granola
Ingredients:
– 1 cup rolled oats – 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
– 1/3 cup almonds – 2 Tbsp honey
– 1/3 cup pecans – 1 Tbsp peanut butter (creamy)
– 1/2 cup sunflower seeds – 1 ripe banana
– 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds – Dried Cranberries to taste
– 1 Tbsp Pumpkin Spice
– 1 tsp cinnamon
Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds, and spices) together in a large mixing bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, honey, PB, and banana) in a separate bowl. Mix these ingredients until an even consistency is reached and there are no large chunks of banana.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and mix.
- Spread the mixture on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir the granola to break up into pieces. The smaller the pieces the more crunchy the granola will be. Larger chunks will end in a more chewy consistency.
- Place back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
- Remove and add dried cranberries. Place in oven for another 3-5 minutes, depending on how done the granola appears.
- Remove from oven, let cool, and place in air tight container.
Hopefully this will help to power you through the week and get y’all a little closer to your thanks/friends-giving, football binge, or just a day to breathe and soak in some down time. Let me know what you think!
~ Josie
