GUILT FREE # 1 - HOME MADE GRANOLA

Put your (metaphorical) hands up if you're a serial snacker.

Now keep them up if your right hand is currently navigating the keyboard whilst your left hand is surreptitously rummaging through a half eaten packet of peanut M&Ms. 

Unlike our European counterparts with their enviously long meal times, these days our lives are no longer centred around the dining table. Client lunches have been replaced by client drinks and three course dinners have been replaced by M&S dine in for two. 

In order to adapt to our busybody, calorie counting culture, our food habits have returned to simplicity - minimal fuss, maximum nutrition. The same goes for our snacking needs - whether it serves as a quasi-lunch or to cure a chronic case of work boredom, we require our snacks to be accessible, healthy and fuss free. 

As tempting as it is to reach for a tantalising packet of Maltesers (especially when they are calling your name), I have recently discovered that thanks to the likes of Deliciously Ella, Hemsley and Hemsley and Whole Foods the line between healthy and tasty has finally blurred. 

In celebration, I have put together a six part series of my favourite guilt free snacks, healthy pack lunches and "can't believe its not sugar" sweet treats. 

First up - homemade Granola a la Deliciously Ella (adapted slightly to suit my tastebuds)

Whilst granola is traditionally a breakfast dish, the crunchiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the fruits makes this dish an ideal snack. I tend to keep a small pot of this versatile goodness in my drawer at work to serve up with yoghurt, almond milk or straight from the pot, whenever hunger strikes. 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups gluten free oats

1 cup almonds

1 cup pecans

1 cup walnuts

2 cups mixture of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and pine nuts

1 cup desiccated coconut 

1/2 cup of dried dates or dried goji berries

3 tablespoons of coconut oil

3 tablespoons original maple syrup

3 teaspoons of cinnamon

Recipe

1. Blitz the almonds, pecans and walnuts in a food processor so that you have a nice balance of whole, chopped and crumbled nuts. 

2. Put the nut mixture in a baking dish and add the oats, seeds mix and 1/2 cup desiccated coconut to the dish. 

3. Warm up the coconut oil, maple syrup and cinnamon on the stove until you have a syrup like texture. 

4. Coat the dry mixture in the syrup so the ingredients become nicely sticky. 

5. Set your oven to about 180 degrees and pop the baking dish into the oven for about 20 minutes. 

6. After 20 minutes, give the part cooked granola a good stir and put it back in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. 

7. Take the granola of the oven and add in a further sprinkle the remaining desiccated coconut and the dried berries or dates.

Et Voila - serve with yoghurt, almond milk or like my boyfriend, sprinkled on porridge.