Granola Girl comes in two appealing flavors: Maple Pecan and Cranberry Almond.
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KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.
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July 2009 |
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Granola Girl
Page 3: Gourmet Granola Cereal In Cranberry Almond & Maple Pecan Made With Organic Ingredients
Granola Girl granolas are made with organic rolled oats and oat brand, although they are not certified organic. This is Page 3 of a three-page review. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.
Overview
Granola Girl granolas are baked in Mount Shasta, California, a tiny community about nine miles southwest of the Mount Shasta volcano. It’s beautiful country, with rivers for trout fishers, terrain for downhill and cross-country skiers, hiking galore, gorgeous lakes and the allure, for those who like to climb, of Mount Shasta.
 Fewer than 7,000 people live in the town of Mount Shasta and its immediate environs. But the tiny town is not without its share of celebrities: Anita Loos (1888-1981), screenwriter, playwright and author, whose work includes “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”; and former NFL defensive back Jason Sehorn (1971-), who was born in nearby Sacramento but graduated from Mount Shasta High School.
Photo of Mount Shasta taken from Lake Siskiyou, just west of the city of Mount Shasta and about 12 miles west of the Mount Shasta summit. Photo by Kyle and Melissa | Wikimedia Commons. Over the past 4,500 years the volcano has erupted an average of every 600 years. The last significant eruption was observed in 1786 (about 400 years to go until the next one).
And now, there’s Granola Girl. Baking two flavors of delicious granola, using local and organic ingredients, Misty Watkins may be the next Mount Shasta celebrity.
Granola Girl Flavors
You can mix just about anything into a base of rolled oats and call it granola. Dried fruit and nuts are most popular. Sweeteners are the “wet ingredients”: agave, applesauce, brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup. Spices run the gamut from “everyday” flavors like cinnamon and vanilla to cardamom and nutmeg. Some people get healthy with wheat germ and flaxseed. You can make Asian granola (sesame seeds, crystallized ginger), Florida granola (orange zest), Trail Mix granola (raisins, cashews, chocolate chips, sunflower seeds) or anything that inspires you.
Granola Girl keeps it simple: Currently there are just two flavors, both with near- universal appeal (both have nuts). The flavor profiles are delicate—nothing overwhelming, yet everything in perfect balance. They are sweetened very lightly, as well—Ms. Watkins has a deft hand.
The granolas are baked with canola oil and are so moist that no milk or yogurt is needed. These are not “crunchy,” baked-until-crisp granolas, yet the texture of the oats is chewy and lovely. That’s why we find them so different and so much more appealing than many of the less distinctive granolas we try.
Cranberry Almond. A light scent of cinnamon wafts out of the bag. Moist sand tender baked oats, crunchy chunks of almond and plump dried cranberries unite happily.
Ingredients: Organic rolled oats, organic oat bran, raw honey, dried cranberries, almonds, canola oil, cinnamon, sea salt.
Maple Pecan Granola. When maple syrup is added to the canola oil recipe, the granola gets even more moist—almost streusel-like in its moisture.
Ingredients: Organic rolled oats, organic oat bran, pure maple syrup, pecans, canola oil, cinnamon, sea salt.
Each 1.1-ounce portion has 120 calories, 40 from fat; 4.5g fat (7%), 0 cholesterol or trans fat, 50 mg sodium (2%), 18g total carb 96%), 3g fiber, 4g sugar, 4g protein (11%).
Because of the variety of the added fruit, we preferred the Cranberry Almond, but would gladly accept gift gas of either. Yes, these are nice party favors and stocking stuffers. The resealable bags are convenient to leave at work to feed the “hungries” in a nutritious way—no milk or yogurt required, just a spoon.
GRANOLA GIRL
Cranberry Almond Granola & Maple Pecan Granola
- 12-Ounce Bag
$6.99
- 12-Bag Case
$36.99
Single Flavor Or Mixed
Purchase online* at
OrganicGranolaGirl.com
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*Prices and product availability are verified at publication but are subject to change. Shipping is additional. These items are offered by a third party and THE NIBBLE has no relationship with them. Purchase information is provided as a reader convenience.
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