Name: No Cook Paleo Granola
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 10-12 dates; 1 cup walnuts; 1 cup pecans; 1/2 cup chia seed; 1/2 cup flax seed meal; 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut; 1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt (leave out if your nuts were salted); {I get all of our nuts and seeds (as well as dates from Costco. I purchase coconut shreds in bulk at our local health food store.})

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This 10 minute prep, no cook, paleo granola is a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, a fun crispy crunch, and big time kid approved!

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They sure do give you a run for your money, don’t they?!

You know…toddlers! While I’m nearing the end of a 7 year stint of having at least 1 toddler in the house, these little 1-3 year old people still have a way of completely throwing my day off with their “fascinating” requests, utter disregard for the concept of time, and sudden obsessions.

Which has everything to do with no cook, paleo granola, right?

Well of course it does! Because when the 3 year old has it in her mind that she just *has* to have yogurt and granola one afternoon, momma is out of the said granola, and there have been more than enough battles chosen for this particular day…you figure out a way to make some sort of granola pronto.

I initially had the thought of just crumbling up some crispy nuts from the pantry, sprinkling a bit of coconut flake, and drizzling a bit of raw honey…but then I had an idea!

All of the granola components without the cook time!

What if I did a quick “crumble” in the food processor (pulse!) of these components to make it really look like a granola mixture?! I decided to use dried fruit instead of the honey just in case it really did work and I wanted to easily store it away in a container. Bingo! After a few attempts at getting the right combo of dried fruit to nuts/seeds/coconut, we definitely had a winner…but did the toddler buy it???

She was all over it!

The dates provided the perfect, mild sweetness for a little one – and my taste buds are quite trained now so I don’t need things super sweet anymore. You can always add a drizzle of honey to the bowl if you need! She enjoyed her bowl of yogurt with fresh granola, and anyone with a toddler in the in their care knows that I am not exaggerating when I say the day was saved!

Notes about ingredients, swaps, and nutrients!

I used dates as the “sweet” for this granola. Dates are a fantastic source of essential minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, that we all need on a daily basis. I like the fiber component of using real fruit for sweetening things for little guys too! You could swap the dates for another dried fruit (like raisins or dried blueberries) to provide the “sticky” to hold the bits of granola together.
I really think that any nut and/or seed combo would work for this granola. My biggest suggestion would be to change things up every time you make it! Different nuts and seeds have different nutritional benefits – take advantage of the variety. I do like the ingredient profiles of chia and flax and have tended to keep those in the mix each time. Chia seed and flax seed are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, which most of us could use more of! They are also a good source of protein and fiber.
I have also liked to pull out some of the nuts and use more coconut shreds. Coconut shreds have protein and fiber as well as iron and zinc! We aren’t huge coconut flavor fanatics here, but I like the texture and the dates cover up the coconut flavor! I understand that coconut has become problematic as an allergen for some with leaky gut going on. If that is the case, simply leave the coconut out and swap for another seed or nut.
If you are nut free, you can swap the nuts for pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds, and/or more coconut shreds!

Serving suggestions for everyone!

We have a bit of a split home as far as who tolerates dairy and who doesn’t, so I have a lot of serving ideas for you!

With a splash of fresh, raw milk if you can handle the dairy
With a splash of coconut milk (either homemade, or this is my favorite brand that is gum and junk free that I buy all the time since myself and one of my girls is dairy free)
Sprinkled on top of your yogurt
Sprinkled on top of your coconut milk yogurt
Stirred into a bowl of soaked oats or whatever porridge you like
Blended into a smoothie with a high powered blender