Habits are interesting. Your body doesn’t even have to be reminded that it’s time to exercise or take your morning vitamins when you are in the “habit” of performing that action. So naturally when I started thinking about writing up this granola recipe, I thought about our habit of having a parfait starring this granola almost every morning for breakfast. So then I thought to myself, where does a habit reside in my body? (It’s pretty full of organs and other stuff already!) It turns out habits live in our brains.
According to Chris Adams in an article entitled “What is a habit?” on his Ergonomics site, “When you learn something, your brain makes connections that create pathways for neurological activity. When you routinely perform the same actions, your brain learns this pattern of behavior and sets up a pathway. This pathway is a more efficient way for the brain to process the routine, as opposed to a new series of discreet tasks. That is a habit. Think of ruts dug into the mud. It is much easier to drive your car with the ruts than trying to drive through, over or against them. Cache memory in a computer is another good analogy. The computer stores commonly used actions where it can access and process them faster. The brain does the same thing. Setting up these pathways is actually quite simple. With daily repetition, you can institute a new habit in as little as 10 days. That is, of course, if the new habit is not competing against an old one. Unfortunately, once a pathway is set it is extremely difficult to get rid of, which is why breaking a bad habit is so hard.” Thank you Chris, I couldn’t have stated it better myself!
You know, learning that habits live in my brain explains a lot! It clarifies why I just can’t rid myself of some of my bad habits, and why some that I really need to incorporate into my daily routine are just not happening! My brain is full! I’ve felt it coming on for years! I can’t remember names the way I used to. I forget the ending words of sentences. I go into rooms wondering what in the world I was there to retrieve? Thank goodness I’m already in the habit of eating granola for breakfast! Or eating granola might just end up in the same over-stuffed part of my brain where all of my forgotten words remain reclusive, things I started out to fetch remain unclaimed, and new habits are rejected for lack of RAM!
So all of you who are still able to make and change habits with alacrity try eating granola as part of a perfect breakfast. When layered with yogurt and fresh fruit it is just a lovely addition to or diversion from, the standard toast and egg routine. Breakfast can be a tad bit boring. But I am sure you will find that there is nothing boring about this granola. It’s crisp and chewy and fabulous. Give it a try.
- 3 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ c. slivered almonds
- ¾ c. coconut
- 1 c. chopped pecans
- ¼ c. chopped dried dates
- ¼ c. dried apricots, chopped
- ½ c. dried cranberries
- 4 T. butter
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- 1/3 c. honey
- ½ tsp. vanilla
Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven, stirring occasionally, until coconut lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and immediately add chopped pecans and dried fruits. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in cinnamon and honey. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour butter mixture over oat mixture and stir until well combined. On a large rimmed baking sheet, spread the granola evenly in a thin layer. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake, stirring every 5 minutes until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. (Do not over-bake; the granola will crisp as it cools.) Cool completely and store in an airtight container. Makes a wonderful parfait when layered with vanilla yogurt and mixed berries.