Very Berry Granola (No Nuts!)

If Necessity truly is the mother of Invention, how do you think Invention acted in those early teen years? Was she — and I’m taking some liberties here, but in my mind Invention is surely a young lady — subject to hormonal angst, locking herself in her room and writing bad poetry? Did she skip school or stay out too late, or bleach a blond streak into her hair as I did at 13? And how on earth did Necessity stay sane during all that?

Maybe Necessity was married to Ingenuity, which would explain a lot. Or maybe she sequestered herself to the kitchen, baking batch after batch of treats like granola, which, when offered at just the right time to a hungry (a.k.a. irascible) daughter, can go a long way towards restoring peace and order.

If, however, Necessity were to have packed some of the aforementioned granola in Invention’s lunchbox, she’d better have paid attention to those “no peanuts, no tree-nuts” warnings many schools enforce. After all, she wouldn’t want Invention’s friend, Anaphylaxis, to end up in the emergency room. Again.

Well, Necessity, do I have a recipe for you. Very Berry Granola. No nuts. No coconut either (which is NOT a tree nut, but sill on the naughty list at our preschooler’s daycare). It’s also vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free. Great for lunches. Great for snacks. Great in the morning with some milk or yogurt. You get the picture.