healthy granola with pineapple, papaya, sunflower & pumpkin seeds

Sunday's are always my baking day of the week. It's so fun to bake and I love knowing it will last all week for breakfast, lunch or snacks while I'm at the office. I went nuts at the Bulk Barn yesterday to make sure I had ample ingredients to make my first batch of granola. Granola is so rich in fiber and not to mention heart-healthy omega-3s, I wanted to make the homemade stuff because I find the store bought version way to sweet and who knows what the actual ingredients are. 

Here is my recipe I used below:

Ingredients:

Dry-

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2  cup unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (note: I always put a bit more because I just LOVE this stuff!)
• 1/2 cup dried pineapple
• 1/2 cup dried papaya
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Wet-

• 1/4 cup OJ
• 3 tbsp au natural honey
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp brown sugar (optional - note that there is already tons of sugar in the dried fruit)
• OR... scrap the sugar/maple syrup/honey mixture and add 1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup which is a much healthier substitute to sugar! 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease baking sheet with canola oil (you may also use cooking-oil spray or line baking sheet with nonstick foil). In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Mix well. In a small bowl combine the orange juice, maple syrup, honey, and optional brown sugar. Mix well.
2. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until the mixture is fully combined and moist. Spread the mixture on the greased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and stir, breaking the large chunks into smaller pieces. Add in all the dried fruit and bake for an additional 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove from oven and allow to cool. While still warm, stir to break up any remaining chunks. When completely cool, store the granola in an airtight container.

Bon Appetit!