Christmas Pumpkin Granola Recipe

Christmas Pumpkin Granola Recipe

Breakfast really is the most important part of the day - it kick starts your metabolism and if you eat breakfast then you're less likely to over-eat later on in the day. Breakfast eaters, particularly those who include a source of protein with it (e.g. eggs, milk, yoghurt etc.) tend to eat less calories over the whole day.

I first blogged about home-made granola back in March and thought I'd revisit this delicious breakfast idea with a Christmas twist - making it the perfect start for Christmas morning!

Home Made Pumpkin Granola

 

 Makes: 9 Servings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes

 Serving Suggestion: 50g granola with low-fat natural yoghurt & chopped fresh fruit

Ingredients: 130g (2 cups) porridge oats, 55g (1/4 cup) pumpkin puree,

60g (1/2 cup) of mixed nuts & seeds,

 2 tbsp of agave nectar or honey, 1 tbsp of vegetable oil,

100g (1 cup) dried fruits (e.g. mixed raisins)

 

Optional - 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice

 

How to make:

1)   Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees C
2)   Mix the pumpkin, honey and oil in a bowl
3)   Add the oat and mix well, then add the nuts/seeds (plus pumpkin spice if using) and mix well
4)   Spread the coated oats onto a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes, then stir and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden (to make extra crunchy pieces squash together clumps of the oats together!)
5)   Once cool, mix your oats and dried fruit together

 

Nutrition Per 50g Serving: 139 kcal, 4.5g Fat

Nutritional Benefits: High in soluble fibre & antioxidants

(Lower in calories and fat than shop-bought granola: 212 kcal, 6g Fat)

 

 

This granola also makes the perfect last minute Christmas gift.. so what are you waiting for?! Happy Baking!!

 

Nic x

 

Ps If you're wondering, I got my pumpkin puree from Waitrose in the UK!

 

Apricot, Yoghurt & Granola Pots

Apricot, Yoghurt & Granola Pots

If you liked my Oaty Chicken Goujon recipe post last week, then you are guaranteed to like this one too! I actually served this 'healthy' dessert after the goujons and it went down a treat.. an overall truly oaty feast you could say! My cholesterol levels have got to be good!

I spotted this 'Apricot, Yoghurt & Granola Pot' recipe on Nairn's website [click here] and loved the idea of home-made granola.. I'd never made granola before and was super keen to make a lower calorie, fat and sugar version than the shop-bought ones.

So, to make this delicious fruity and oaty dessert you will need:

200g Porridge Oats

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp sunflower oil (I used Olive Oil)

150g dried fruits (I used mixed raisins)

100ml natural yoghurt (I used fat-free Greek Yoghurt)

1 tbsp sugar-free apricot jam (I used reduced-sugar apricot jam)

And here is what to do:

First, pre-heat your oven to 200C or 180C for a fan oven or gas 6 then.. 

1) Mix the porridge oats, honey and oil in a bowl... at first I didn't think there would be enough honey and oil but if you keep on mixing and mixing with a spoon all of the oats will be coated.. I assure you!

*Keep Mixing!!*

2) Spread the coated oats onto a baking tray and bake for 7 minutes... then stir and bake for 7 minutes more.. *Warning.. the smells from your kitchen will make you want to eat the whole tray immediately!!*

*Spread out well*

3) Admire your baked oats and leave to cool..

*Smells DIVINE!*

4) Once cool, mix your oats and dried fruit together..

*YUM* lovely home-baked granola!!
(NB this recipe will make 8 servings of this dessert.. I just made 2 servings and saved the rest for another day)

5) For one serving mix 100ml of natural yoghurt (or fat-free Greek yoghurt) with 1 tbsp of sugar-free apricot jam (or regular/reduced sugar-jam) in a bowl..

*Delish..*

6) Then it's time to make your desserts! Simply choose your serving dish (wine glass or small glass) and layer your: fruity granola & yoghurt & fruity granola.. and top with a little jam (it looks pretty..)

*Proud moment*

These desserts really did go down well.. and I was super happy the next day to have granola for breakfast :) .. Simply store your granola in an airtight container. You can even portion into small bags for an extra lunchbox treat!

Happy baking!

Nutrition Per 50g Serving of Granola: 165 kcal, 3.5g Protein, 33g Carbs, 3g Fat*

Nutritional Benefits: High in soluble fibre & antioxidants

(Lower in kcal and fat than shop-bought granola: 212 kcal / 6g Fat)


For more great tasting, low calorie recipes click [here]

Nic x

Disclaimer: I am NOT being paid for this blog. All opinions are my own and 100% honest. Nairn's kindly sent some samples to try which I decided to use in recipes to share with my lovely readers. I am not aiming to promote or endorse products featured over any other.

 

*Nutritional information provided by Firecracker