Rise and Shine

Over the past few days, I have found it more difficult than usual to roll out of bed. I blame this hardship on Daylight Savings Time. When my alarm goes off at 6:20am, there is not an inch of sunlight seeping through my window. Complete darkness and cold air. My warm bed and snugly pillow feel more wonderful than usual. But once I take that initial leap and splash some cold water on my face, I'm ready to take on the new day. For most people, work is not a good reason to get out of bed, but it's my motivation. The Murdock group is like a family. Each weekday feels like time spent at home with family during the holidays. So I usually pack up my yogurt and granola and head to the office where I pour myself a cup of coffee and chat with the other early work birds. What a great start to the day!

Homemade Power Granola

2 C regular oats
1/3 C ground flax seed
1/4 C chopped walnuts
1/4 C chopped slivered almonds
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 C orange juice
1/3 C honey
1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 tsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking spray
1/3 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 300°.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl.

Combine orange juice, honey, and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat just until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in oil and vanilla.

Pour honey mixture over oat mixture, stirring to coat. Spread mixture in a thin layer onto a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300° for 10 minutes; stir well. Bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Spoon granola into a bowl; stir in dried cranberries. Cool completely.

Note: Store completely cooled granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.