Lately, I’ve been out hiking and biking every chance I get, and the post-workout hunger hits hard. After a long day on the move, I want to eat something healthy that fuels me and actually tastes good... if I don’t plan ahead, I’ll eat anything in sight.

That’s where this granola comes in. It’s crunchy, sweet, salty, and totally satisfying. I love how easy it is to switch things up based on what I’m craving—sometimes I go heavy on the nuts and seeds, other times I add dried fruit or a sprinkle of dark chocolate. I stash some in my bag for the trail, and it’s just as good at home with yogurt or piled onto a smoothie bowl. This is quickly becoming a staple in my pantry.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (use certified gluten-free oats for gluten-free granola)
• 1 ½ cup raw nuts and/or seeds (I used 1 cup pecans, 1/2 pistachios, and ½ cup pepitas
• ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt 
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup or honey (I used 1/3 cup of maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup dried fruit, chopped if large (I used dried cranberries)
• Optional additional mix-ins: ½ cup chocolate chips or coconut flakes

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts and/or seeds, salt and cinnamon. Stir to blend.
3. Mix the oil, maple syrup and/or honey and vanilla together, and pour it into the bowl. Stir well, until every oat and nut is lightly coated. Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
4. Bake until lightly golden, about 21 to 24 minutes, stirring halfway (for extra-clumpy granola, press the stirred granola down with your spatula to create a more even layer). The granola will further crisp up as it cools.
5. Add dried fruit toward or at the end of cooking, to prevent burning.
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The Very Best Granola
https://cookieandkate.com/healthy-granola-recipe/

I love finding people who are just a little crazier than me. Take my friend, the birthday boy who celebrates every year with something wildly adventurous like a triathlon or a 7-day overnight backpacking trip. I was lucky to be invited along this year. (And yes, I’ll be interviewing him for the podcast soon, so stay tuned!)

This year’s celebration was a combo hike and bike adventure that started very early. I was up at 5 a.m. to meet the group by 6, and we hit the trail by 7. We dropped my car off in North Bend, loaded up my bike, and drove about an hour east on I-90 to the Rachel Lake trailhead. Rachel Lake is tucked in the beautiful Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, an 8.7-mile out-and-back hike with a 2,529 ft elevation gain. It’s stunning… and steep. Let’s just say it took a minute (or several) to get up there. The morning air was chilly and the trail had a lot of switchbacks. Thankfully, my friend had downloaded the map, because we wandered off-trail more than once.

After the hike, we transitioned straight to bikes and jumped onto the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. This converted railway spans 289 miles,  from Cedar Falls near North Bend all the way to the Idaho border, and originally ran all the way to Chicago. It was incredible. We biked through the Iron Horse Tunnel - 2.25 miles of cold, dark, slightly creepy awesomeness. At over 2,600 feet above sea level, just north of Keechelus Lake, it’s the kind of place where the temp drops and your breath fogs up… even in August. The tunnel was packed with hikers, bikers, and even a few brave dogs. Even though I’d been to this area before to cut down a Christmas tree, I never imagined I’d be biking it. I loved it. The views were breathtaking: fresh, green, and endlessly scenic. It was surreal to be biking beside the lake I'd driven past so many times on the I-90. I clocked 34 miles on the bike that day and loved every second. 

By the time we wrapped up the ride, it was 4:40 p.m., and I had a 7 p.m. date night with my husband. So, the birthday boy’s wife (also a trooper) came to rescue me and shuttle me back to my car. She laughed at me for making such early plans, and told me this is how it goes every year. They rarely eat dinner before 9 p.m. These are my people! I’ve done nine Ragnars (24-hour relay runs), biked the Seattle to Portland (STP) twice, done RSVP (Seattle to Vancouver) twice, paddle-boarded to Blake Island from Port Orchard for overnight camping, and was a fitness competitor for years. These challenges are remind me why I train. Outdoor missions make me feel alive.

If this sounds like your kind of crazy too — come join me next time. Life’s too short to celebrate birthdays with cake alone. And let's face it, you gotta have the cake... so you might as well have a little fun while burning off those calories!