I am such a breakfast person. Almost immediately upon waking each morning I am hungry. My typical breakfast runs the gamut from fried eggs and sautéed veggies, to oatmeal piled with fruit, to toast heaped with nut butter or other toppings. On Sundays, I’ll sometimes get a bit fancier and whip up a quiche or batch of pancakes.

Tuesday and I chatted recently about our  respective morning fares, and I learned that she often does nothing more than grab an apple or banana or handful of trail mix on the way out the door. (GASP!) Obviously there is nothing wrong with this, except that I am a firm believer in the importance of a well rounded meal and a moment of pause to start one’s day. Bonus points if a crossword puzzle and cup of black tea or strong coffee are involved. Because of my devotion to the practice of eating breakfast, I’ve decided to do some evangelizing and see if I can’t liven up Tuesday’s busy morning routine.

Requirements for a Tuesday-proof breakfast:

• quick
• minimal prep and minimal mess
• portable
• nutritious
• able to be prepped ahead of time in large batches
• stores well

Where does this leave us? Granola.

Granola is great for a lot of reasons, one of the most notable being its customizability. Not a fan of honey? Use maple syrup as your sweetner/glue. Not into dates or coconut or berries? Choose another combination of dried fruits. Trying to up your protein intake? Add extra nuts and seeds. You get my point.

ingredients:

• 3 c. old fashioned oats
• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts
• 1/4 c. sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp. flax seeds
• 2 tbsp. hemp seeds
• 3/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 c. chopped dates
• 1/4 c. dried cherries
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 pinches of sea salt

directions:

Preheat oven to 300F. Melt coconut oil by running a sealed jar under hot water. Add melted coconut oil, salt, and other wet ingredients (vanilla, honey) to a small bowl. Add all other ingredients (oats, nuts, seeds, dried fruit) to a large mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry, using hands to combine. Evenly spread the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool, and store in a sealed container. (I used a half gallon Ball jar, pictured below.)

Warning: This granola is of the un-chunky variety. If you’re a fan of granola clump-age, consider trying this tip from Food52.

And there you have it, folks. Serve on its own, with milk, or over yogurt. If only the rest of the week was as simple as making this granola.