I used to HATE granola.

It had nuts, and for the longest time, I DISLIKED THEM IMMENSELY.

Walnuts showed up every Christmas, on my mother’s table, with the same nutcracker, all boring-like. I mean, where were the Gingerbread cookies for cryin’ out loud? Nooooo, we had walnut cookies, even. The horror of 1981.

Hmmm, when did I start to actually like nuts? I can’t even remember. The only bummer is that I can’t eat ‘em on clinical days (too many nut allergies out there, sadly).

Now, the public love of granola started with Dr. James Caleb Jackson , who invented it at the Jackson Sanitarium in 1863. The Jackson Sanitarium was actually a health spa, and later Dr. Jackson founded Our Home Granola Company.

I do love a splash of granola to top my smoothie bowl, or kefir bowl, or as a grab and go snack. Granola tops a smoothie bowl, and makes my other family members try my smoothie concoctions, which may involve beets, carrots and other gut loving veg in there.

If you’re not taking care of your gut, you are not optimizing your menopause.

Since we have dropped the demonization of fat, and nuts are loaded with some good stuff, like proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, they are a fantastic snack. And they belong in granola.

As long as you have no trouble digesting them, pack some up for convenient, on the go energy.

I mix and match my granola ingredients according to the pantry selection, and toss in some dried fruits or cacao nibs for an extra punch of flavour. I’ve even dressed it up with some dark chocolate chips. Fresh fruit. Kefir. Yum.

This is my go to recipe. That I alter. All the time. ‘Cause that’s who I am. Recipes are made to be fiddled with.

Simple Granola (click here for a printable)