Lisa Shamai's Healthy Trail Mix Granola

1. ​Preheat the Oven to 300 degrees F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine rolled oats, wheat germ, & oat bran.
3. Combine oil, honey, vanilla and water together in a separate bowl. Add wet mixture to the dry, stirring until evenly distributed.
4. Spread onto one or two 13-by-18-inch baking sheets.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring the granola with a fork every 10 minutes and rotating pan to heat evenly.
6. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large bowl, and add pitted dates, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, nuts (if desired), cinnamon, dried cranberries and raisins.
7. Store granola in airtight containers.

Granola Bars

1. Follow the same procedure for steps 1 – 3 above.
2. Soak the dates in ½ cup of hot water. Add 2 grated apples to the dates and mix well by hand or food processor until combined.
3. Combine date and apple mixture with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, nuts (if desired), cinnamon, dried cranberries and raisins.
4. Combine fruit and seed mixture with the granola and press into a baking pan. Bake for 40 minutes.
5. Cut into squares and then set aside to cool before removing from pan.

• ​Pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, are an excellent source of magnesium: 1/4 cup gives you about half of what you need in a day. Magnesium is essential for the growth and maintenance of bones and for nerve and muscle function. It also helps move stool through the intestine.
• Oat fibre helps lower LDL (unhealthy or “lousy”) cholesterol, which is a risk factor for heart disease. In one study, eating oats every day was associated with an average LDL reduction of 7%.
• Studies in animals suggest that beta-glucan, a type of carbohydrate found in oats, may prevent cancer cells from growing. Other preliminary research suggests that beta-glucan may activate cancer-fighting cells such as T-cells and natural killer cells.
• Dates provide a natural way to sweeten desserts in place of processed sugar and artificial sweeteners. Dates are high in insoluble fibre, the type of fibre that acts as roughage and helps keep your colon healthy. Research suggests that diets high in insoluble fibre may reduce colon cancer risk.