In search of granola

Those who know me know that I tend to eat very healthy.  Granola is one of my favorite things to have for breakfast (or whenever), but it is not always the healthiest.

Sometime around 1996 or 1997, my brother, mom and dad and I stayed at Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada in the Florida Keys to do some deep sea fishing.  While I was there, I came across the best granola that I have ever had.  Most granolas have fillers like puffed rice and other crap.  And the majority of them have a lot of oils or butter and are not very healthy.  This granola was different.  It was simple… baked oats with a little bit of sugary flavor, and thats it.  I don’t know if the resort we were staying at made it fresh there, or if they bought it packaged, but it was awesome.  And I stupidly left that trip without asking them where they got it.

Whole foods stores usually have some form of this type of granola in their scoop bins, but it is usually expensive and we don’t have a decent whole foods store in Blacksburg.  The closest packaged granola that I have found is Quaker 100% Natrual Granola, Oats & Honey.  However it is loaded with fat and you can taste the butter (or whatever) in it.

Well, last night I found Back to Nature Classic Granola in the health foods section at Kroger.  It is exactly what I had in Florida.  The ingredients are just oats and a few fruit syrups and other natural flavors, maltodextrin, and vitamin E.  1/2 cup has 2.5g of fat, 4g of fiber, 6g of protein.  And it was just $2 with my Kroger Plus card.

I’d go back and buy a bunch of it, but it doesn’t have any artificial preservatives in it, so the shelf life probably isn’t as long as the junk they sell in the normal cereal isle.  Good for them.

After 10 years the search is over.  Hopefully Kroger will keep this item stocked.

5 thoughts on “In search of granola

  1. daryn

    Bear Naked is pretty good. You should give it a try if they sell it in your neck of the woods. It is a little more expensive though.

    Reply

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