Cereal Killer

So, the point of contention in our household with the no plastic thing is cereal. My husband and daughter live on cereal. My husband is trying to point out that his brand of cereal comes in a mostly recycled box. Another brand, claims to be saving packaging, by making the box bigger and giving you more cereal. Please, can't we be smarter than that? LOL

For the record, I never tell my family, "No, you can't buy that, it's packaged in plastic." They just feel guilty if they do, because they know too much about it. My husband is wrestling with adjusting his diet to a point where his stomach and insomnia issues disappear, so packaging isn't the biggest worry of his right now. However, if his gluten free, dairy free coconut ice cream comes in a total plastic free container, everyone is happy.

Anyway, down to the point - cereal. As No Impact Man points out, you want what's in the box, but you have to buy the box and the plastic bag in the box to get it. Even then, you don't get very much of it, so you have to do it at least once a week, if not more, depending on your family's cereal addiction. So, our new solution: homemade granola. It takes me back to my wilderness girl days when cereal was a nutty crunchy adventure concocted by my earth-mama grandmother and "cookies" were the clumps that formed in the granola jar. Yumm-ee!

We have to use gluten free oats, but for those who don't, oats can be found in the bulk section, so you can bring your own reusable container for them. Yay! All of the other ingredients can be gotten in bulk too. It's so earth-friendly and more economic! It gives new meaning to the term "granola girl." The recipe is below, starting with the simplest basics and then leading to some extra wild and wonderful suggestions. Beware, that this is really good cereal, and pretty packed with good stuff as well as some calories, so enjoy in moderation.

Basic granola:

4 cups oats

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup honey or maple syrup

Mix all the stuff together until the oats are coated with sticky goo, spread on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake at 250 degrees for about 25 min. Everything will be shiny, but the oats should feel dry, and the nuts should be roasted to your taste. Let cool, but not all the way (or your cereal will never come off the sheet), and put into a reusable container, preferably a glass jar.

Other ideas: sesame seeds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, raisins, dried apricots, walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds (the best granola has them all at the same time!)