I am now 9 weeks into my training for this year’s Boston Marathon. It’s the first of the 4 events I’ve signed up for this year. But more on that later. I just wanted to make this a short blog of one of the secret ingredients of my training. It’s my homemade granola. It’s a variation on the original recipe I was given when I was living in New Zealand in 1978. (Yes, that’s a lot of granola behind me.) I eat it nearly every morning during training and before an event. It’s good fuel and easy to digest. I can make a big batch that lasts me about 3 weeks. This saves me a lot of time, and I really like it. It seems to be popular, so I thought I’d share the recipe. Here it is:

Granola Recipe

Fill a 1″ deep cookie sheet with 10 cups of Old Fashioned Oats. (Don’t use Quik Oats; they get mushy.) Bake at 275-degrees for 20 minutes.

Mix in 1 cup honey (or maple syrup) until the warmed oats are moist.  Bake at 275-degrees for 20 minutes.

Take the toasted oats out and put them in a paper bag. Stir up the oats to allow for even cooking. Put them back on the tray and bake at 275-degrees for 20 minutes.

Remove the toasted oats. Mix in 1 cup slivered/sliced almonds, 1 cup of cranberries, and 1 cup of coconut. Add raisins, dried apples, or anything else you want.

Put in sealed container or jar.

Done! So easy, even I can do it and now you have enough granola to last a couple of weeks.

I use about a cup of granola for a serving when I am in training (less if I am not). Each cup has about 450 calories, with 10 grams of protein and 12 grams of fiber.