February 27, 2021

by drplasticpicker

I needed some cooking therapy yesterday morning, and in between blogging and answering work/environmental emails – I made granola. I’ve made granola now many times, but this granola was a big hit in clinic! I had several people ask me for the recipe. My ultimate goal is to have everyone eat more fiber, inspire more plant-based eating and reusing containers we all have at home. And granola can be the entry point for many people!

If you have your own home-made granola, then simple things like instapot oatmeal, plain yogurt or even a sliced banana begins to become more gourmet, foodie, personalized and DELICIOUS. And surprisingly tastes great and also more fiber for you. It’s amazing, isn’t it? You can save yourself and save the planet by figuring out what YOUR GRANOLA RECIPE is.

I have several variations but I think this may be it for me. I just liked the dried plums better than raisins or cranberries. And we LOVE SHREDDED COCONUT in our house.

Dr. Plastic Picker’s HIGH FIBER-GOODNESS Granola Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups of rolled oats, 1 cup of shredded coconut, 1/3 stick of butter, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons of honey, 1 cup of chopped walnuts, and handful of chopped dried plums (formerly known as prunes).

Instructions

In a bowl, mix dried ingredients: oats, shredded coconut, cinnamon, walnuts and dried plums. Melt butter in microwave. Pour butter, vanilla and honey in the bowl drizzling it everywhere. Then mix! Put on a cookie sheet lined with silicone baking mat (you could spray some nonstick cooking spray if you want) and then spred evenly. Bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. And that is it!

To make it truly Dr. Plastic Picker style, you have to reuse pretty glass jars and then give half away to dear friends.

Now you have granola to be the basis of other wonderful goodness. Like that morning, I served my discerning teenager who goes to private school and runs cross country – sliced bananas with granola on top for a quick on the go breakfast in the car.

And he got an A minus on his AP Physics test, proof that the homemade granola and banana work. Maybe if I had sprinkled some chia seeds on it, it would have been an A? I’ll take the A minus! LOL. Dr. Plastic Picker signing off. Lots of gardening, climate emails and I have to refinance a rental property this weekend. Don’t call me, and I won’t call you. Work-life balance people.