Crunchy

Last night we made homemade granola, using THIS recipe as a base. (I love those stylish sisters and all their amazing good ideas, don't you?)

I kept ours pretty simple, sweetening with maple syrup and throwing in a bunch of almonds and dried blueberries. (And, I may or may not have thrown in some mini chocolate chips this morning at breakfast. Shhh, don't tell on me!)

There is some controversy out there, as to whether or not oats are gluten free or not. Where I stand on the issue is, I believe oats ARE gluten free, but are easily contaminated by wheat due to usually being grown and processed with wheat. Therefore, I only use organic "gluten free oats" (we love Bob's Red Mill brand) that are grown and packaged safely and I have never had any trouble with them. That being said, I don't have celiac disease, and I do know some people with gluten allergies/celiac that don't handle oats very well, so everyone has to make the decision whether or not to incorporate oats into their diets based on what their bodies can tolerate.

I for one am so thankful for gluten free oats. They add some much needed fiber to our diets, and make a great substitute for breadcrumbs in meatballs and meatloaf. And they sure make some delicious granola.