Granola Compromise Togetherness

My husband's favorite breakfast is yogurt (Stonyfield) and granola. But... the granola has to be doctored up. You have to add more nuts and more raisins and other dried fruits. Maybe peanut butter, maybe coconut, maybe not. His grocery store alternatives (Kashi, etc.) tend to be very pricey in my non-cereal loving opinion. I like the most generic store brand “cheerios” or maybe an occasional “grape nut” alternative. So I have tried to make granola to save money. Some granola has been great, some not so. It is always an adventure.

I use a recipe I found on-line called Megan's granola. It is a very nice basic granola. This was after trying several of my own and variations of “Diet for a Small Planet” and similar kinds. My husband was not impressed. Turns out that if he can't have his “Kashi” types, then he wants a granola that is loaded with oil and brown sugar. Under that healthy exterior lurks a junk food enthusiast. He wants a healthy core (oats) slathered in unhealthy tasty add-ons.

So I have settled for a compromise stance. I put healthy things in, but I put in PLENTY of brown sugar and oil. My must have additions to granola are peanuts and cornmeal. I love the taste of both of those added to the mix. I compromise on price (it isn't as cheap as I could make it if he stayed out of the picture). He lets me add some of the things I want but in limited quantities. The real upside is that he has started helping me make the granola. For the last batch he shelled a bowl of pecans that we gathered at a friend's house. The batch before that he sliced up dates and apricots. He likes to keep an eye on the preparations to make sure that plenty of the things he likes get in there. It is nice to have company while I mix up the stuff. Life lessons learned... compromise looks like granola with peanuts and pecans.