My friend Sarah over at PersonalFaves.com welcomed a new baby girl the other day.  She now has a boy and a girl, too, so I know our families will have lots of fun together watching our kids grow up.  Finding friends in this big city can be tough, so I am so grateful to have Sarah in my life.

I was lucky enough to meet the new little girl and hug her parents yesterday.  I brought along some of my favorite organic post-pregnancy products from Motherlove and a jar of homemade granola.  Speaking from experience, Sarah is going to need some extra energy to get through these next few weeks, so I thought some natural granola just might be helpful.  I’ve posted granola and granola bar recipes on this site before, but since the variations are limitless there’s always room for another, right?!

Homemade Honey Cranberry Granola

5 cups organic oats (I buy in bulk from Green Grocer Chicago)

2 cups coconut

1 cup nuts (I used walnuts)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup honey (mine comes from Family Farms’ Co-Op)

1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil

1-2 cups dried cranberries

Heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, stir together oats, coconut, nuts, cinnamon and brown sugar.  Add oil and honey and mix well.

Drop mixture onto a large cookie sheet.  Place in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and stir well.  Put back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until oats are toasty and brown (but not burned!).    Remove and let cool slightly.

Pour oats back into bowl and stir in cranberries.  Serve with cold milk, homemade yogurt or on its own as a tasty snack.

Another bonus about homemade granola? Because it is incrediably easy to make, kids love to help!