I LOVE the holidays – even more than that, I love holiday-themed food!  This week, I wanted to share my new favorite recipe that can be served up at any Christmas gathering.  Get ready for some weight loss-friendly Christmas granola!!

Christmas Granola

• Festive: The pistachios and dried cranberries add a fun pop of color.
• Versatile: It can be a light breakfast on Christmas morning before the feast, a yummy mid-morning snack with yogurt, a pre-workout snack, or dessert.  Bring it to your family Christmas gathering!!!  It’s also a prime candidate for a simple, homemade gift. Just pour it in a mason jar and wrap it with ribbon!
• Simple: Only 5-minute prep and 40 minutes cook time!
• Healthy: Low in sugar with less processed, icky ingredients.
• Delicious: Everyone will love it!

Making it is really simple, and you probably have most of the ingredients already!

Recipe:

– 3 c. rolled oats (not quick oats)

– ½ teaspoon salt

– ¼ c brown sugar

– ½ c pistachios, shelled

– ¼ c honey

– ½ teaspoon nutmeg

– 2 tbsp coconut oil (any oil will probably work, but I like the slight fruitiness coconut oil provides!).

– ½ tsp cinnamon + extra to sprinkle

– ½ c dried cranberries

1. Heat your oven to 275°F.
2. Mix dry ingredients (minus the cranberries) in a bowl until everything is evenly dispersed. (I added an extra half handful of pistachios to my mix.)
3. Combine honey and coconut oil in the bowl and stir until the mix is coated.

4. Pour mixture onto a baking sheet, making sure it is evenly spread. I love cinnamon, so I sprinkled a little extra once I spread the mix on the baking sheet.

5. For 20 minutes, stir, then continue baking for another 20 minutes. Once it is done (doesn’t it smell good?!), let it cool, pour it into a container, and add in the cranberries!

And you’re done! Now go enjoy a wonderful, healthy Christmas snack. 🙂