Picky eaters… we all know them, love them, hate them, have been one, but I’m pretty sure I took the term to another level growing up. Hats off to my parents for putting up with me, wow, did I ever give them a run for their money. I had a defiant nature about me and I think that’s putting it nicely. So when the sun would rise and it came time for breakfast I took a stand and pretty much refused to eat anything that didn’t look like a chicken finger, slice of pizza, or a hamburger. Eggs were an absolute no go. Cereal? Nope! Toast? Never! Yogurt? Haha are you kidding me?! So, what’s a parent to do?!?

The best part is that I wasn’t just a pain in the ass when it came to breakfast, my defiant nature was practiced throughout the day at every meal. I wholeheartedly understand why my mom used to say, “if you had been my first child you would have been my last.”

So let’s put yourself in moms shoes: imagine being on a family road trip, and with that comes the responsibility of having to be prepared, organized, and ready for every bump in the road, including figuring out what to eat when you find yourself in unfamiliar territory. So we pull into the parking lot, and in the distance I see a bright red sign with the words Arby’s outlined by a giant cowboy hat. Now being Canadian this wasn’t a fast food chain that I was familiar with, but a hamburger and fries had to be on the menu right?! WRONG!!! When my lunch arrived it was some sort of sliced meat sandwich, roast beef to be exact, and let’s just say I was NOT impressed. Cue emotional melt down with a side order of a temper tantrum and all over a deli meat sandwich.

Don’t ya just love kids???

Happy to say that my food melt downs are a thing of the past, but I’m still not a fan of the roast beast. But one thing I am a fan of is this super tasty cashew granola, and i’m pretty sure even the pickiest of eaters will gobble up a big bowl.

Ingredients

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup cashews chopped
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened coconut
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300 then line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl toss in all of your ingredients and mix well, then onto the pan it goes and into the oven for about 30 minutes tossing at the halfway mark.

Once it comes out of the oven and has cooled slightly I put mine in the freezer. I find this results in giant tasty clumps (granola lovers everywhere will understand this lingo) and then I store it in the fridge.

The great thing about this recipe is you modify it to your liking. Swap out the nuts, toss in some dried fruits, the combinations are endless and delicious.