I consider myself an expert in two areas.
- Hummus
- Granola
Hippie staples, right?
I make damn good versions of both, but when it comes right down to it, certain brands can do wondrous things, thereby blowing my own creations out of the water.
We all know which hummus brand I prefer (I’m fairly transparent on the blog – hint: rhymes with jabra).
[Truthfully, I don’t think our fridge has been without Sabra. Ever.]
But until recently, I preferred my own quinoa granola to almost every store bought kind on the market. This recipe gets more hits than practically all of my other recipes combined. I make new batches monthly, minimum, which always seem better than the previous.
And I’m picky about granola!
That doesn’t mean I don’t like store bought brands though – because I do. I think Love Grown is exceptional, as is Udi’s and Nature’s Path. But I’d still rather make my own than spend money on them.
But then I tried Giddy Up & Go granola. I first came across the brand thanks to my December Lollihop box. Then I ran into the company at Expo West and chatted with the team…and came to discover they are from my [teeny tiny] home town in the East Bay [!!!].
You guys don’t understand. I grew up in a small bubble next to the big city.
Nobody is from where I’m from. Many people from California haven’t even heard of the town I grew up in. So yeah, to put it mildly, this blew my mind.
And so did the granola.
The fact that I have this random connection to the company (which is pretty much just in my head since they don’t even know I exist) may lead you to believe I have a bias in my review, but it’s actually the opposite. I tend to be way more critical when things are personal. I am the first one to offer up tweaks on my own recipes or critique a dish I’ve just taken out of the oven.
With Giddy Up & Go granola, there’s no need. It’s awesome.
Imagine the flavor of a chewy oatmeal cookie, but in cereal form and that’s what it tastes like.
There’s something about their combination of vanilla, salt, cinnamon & raisins with sweet oat clusters that makes me think of my favorite cookies right away. [Yes, oatmeal raisin cookies are my absolute 100% favorite.]
And I love the corn flakes in there. The other ingredients stick on to them so they are like flakes caked in granola goodness.
The only issue I have is with the serving size. I refuse to take the blame for finishing the bag in two servings. It’s them, not me.
I’d be down right impressed horrified to find a person who actually requires 7.3 separate meals to polish off this bag. Too harsh? You try it and let me know.
I ate it in two breakfasts, but as we I already established, hummus and granola are my areas of expertise.
When it comes to food, are you a professional in any categories?
9/16ths of a cup!?!?! I’ve never heard of such a serving size! Haha I guess it’s a slightly over-filled half cup? And that’s why I can’t buy granola… I eat the whole bag way too quickly!
9/16ths of a cup? What the heck is that? I consider myself an expert salad maker….but I don’t measure so it’s hard to write recipes!
HA! Yes I definitely would consider you the master authority when it comes to hummus and granola! And that granola looks delish! But a serving size of 9/16 of a cup? slightly random but I definitely appreciate that the company is very precise about their nutrition labels.
Ahahahah…this made my morning (after the SUNNY day I woke up to and my breakfast, that is – looks like we’re off to a good start! Ps. I live in Seattle. The sun is REALLY exciting me.). 9/16ths? That’s the funniest measurement I’ve seen!
Take’s out a 1/2 cup. Scoops 1/2 cup. Oh! Wait, just add a teeny, tiny bit more. Now you’re good!
Haha what a strange serving size! I wonder why they didn’t just make it a 1/2 cup. I definitely have trouble sticking to the suggested serving for granola – it is RATHER hard to resist a giant bowl of the stuff (especially Love Grown apple walnut…).
I would say I’m a professional with quick breads – banana, zucchini, apple-carrot, etc. They’re about the only thing I can bake that always turns out well!
I will also stand and defend the much-maligned oatmeal-raisin cookie. I’ve also had some pretty fabulous raisin cookies. So there!
*big hugs*
lol htrjekwsdf 9/16 of a cup as a serving size. For some reason, that cracked me up.
Just found your website via “Hell if I Gnaw” and you have some great recipes! Love your site! I can’t wait to make the granola and the Maple Roasted Nuts.
I too would devour that bag of granola in about 2 servings. I, however, really pay for eating that much! I wish I could look like you and eat half a bag of granola at a time.
xxx
That breakfast looks yummy. Is that regular milk or Soy Elise?
Granola, whether store bought or homemade, does always seem to disappear quicker than I’d like. I wish I had a GIANT baking sheet (and a giant oven too…) to make mega batches of granola that maybejustmaybe would last half a week.
Elise, you are a master of two of my top favourite foods ever. I salute you!
I would say I am (semi) professional at another hippie staple: the humble salad! But my creations are not always so humble 🙂 I like to be ambitious with salads and pack them full of heaps of ingredients.
YES! a girl after my own heart. salads are not meant to be edited. go big or go home, right? 🙂
the oven in my new place is soooo small so my big baking sheets dont fit in it. so sad. it really limits the size of my granola batches.
almond milk. unsweetened vanilla by almond breeze.
hi kim! thanks for the comment – glad you found me. those are some of my best recipes – enjoy!!
right??
so silly right?
i miss you!!! how are you?
granola that tastes like a chewy oatmeal cookie sounds heavenly!
that granola has my name all over it! organic, gluten free, vegan, and look at those clusters!!
9/16th of a cup is absolutely ridiculous. Why not just make it 2/3 or 1/2 cup. lol. I like to consider myself a granola expert as well. And trail mix! 🙂
I just wrote a review of their granola as well, so delicious! 9/16 is a bit odd, although for me, I’d just opt for their 2.5 lb bulk bag size, yummmmm!
i looooove giddy up granola! they’re from my home town too, which is teeny tiny, so that makes me happy.