Is there anything more amazing than the smell of banana bread baking in the kitchen!?
Yes! (You thought I was going to say no, didn’t you).
This Banana Bread GRANOLA does! Or maybe it’s a tie, hard to say.
You know by now I love making my own granola, like this one and this one. It’s just so easy and so much more economical. Plus, you can pretty much throw whatever you want in there and it will turn out great. But this banana bread granola has the smell of heaven attached to it, and it’s quickly become my favourite.
It’s also, of course, totally great mood food and naturally sweetened. Let me explain:
Bananas have pretty high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid that raises serotonin levels in the brain to boost your mood. Tryptophan does the same exact thing that antidepressant drugs like Prozac do, but naturally. In fact, the list goes on, as you can see from this article on 24 Science-backed health benefits of Bananas!
Walnuts and flaxseeds are both high in Omega-3 Fatty Acids, which are so essential to brain health and mood stabilization! Your body can’t make them itself, so you need to eat them! (Read more on Omega-3s, here)
Combine that with some fibre filled oats, a little real maple syrup, and a dollop of coconut oil and you’re looking at a pretty amazing breakfast there my friends.
This is definitely going to be a staple!
Enjoy! And leave a comment below if you try this out! Be sure to take a picture and #insightfulbite on Instagram as well!
| Banana Bread Granola | Print |
- 1½ cups rolled oats (I use large flake quick cooking)
- 1 cup crisped rice cereal
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 1 cup walnuts, measured whole and then roughly chopped
- 1½ very ripe bananas
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit and line a large, 11 x 17 inch baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix the oats, crisped rice, flax seeds, and chopped walnuts in a medium sized mixing bowl and set aside.
- Place the bananas, salt, vanilla, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and cinnamon in a blender and blend until completely smooth and somewhat frothy, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on your blender.
- Pour the banana mix over the oat mix and stir until everything is completely coated.
- Spread evenly on the lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, stir with a spatula and spread evenly again. Bake another 15 minutes. Remove from oven again, stir one more time, and cook an additional 5 minutes. The granola should be mostly crispy by now.
- Remove from oven and let sit until completely cool. It will get even crispier as it cools.
- Store in a glass airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Perfect timing for a delicious recipe. I just love granola and so do my boys perfect for breakfast or anytime snack. Looking forward to keeping in touch! Take Care
Thanks Bobbi! I agree, always have some on hand, especially for the fall! Same here! And welcome back to The States!