peanut butter•banana granola

I worry about Owen sometimes.
Who am I kidding?--I worry about my kids all the time...
But, this particular concern is one that's really been bothering me lately.
Because of this problem I worry he's not experiencing childhood like most other children (or like I did).
I am referring to the fact that Owen doesn't like peanut butter.  He used to tolerate it but now he flat out refuses it.  This just seems wrong somehow--I have a hard time watching his self-deprivation.
But, I'm learning that I need to let go of some of my worries and focus on the bigger problems (like the fact that Oliver refuses to eat spaghetti sauce).  
Let Owen eat cream cheese and jelly instead.
But, he's also missing out on this Peanut Butter-Banana Granola.

My first version, somewhat ironically, wasn't peanut buttery enough for Brock.  So, the next time I added even more peanut butter.  This granola has officially reached its peanut butter saturation point.

Owen won't touch it, but that just leaves more for the rest of us.

the veggies (or other stuff):

• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 TBS canola oil
• 1 TBS vanilla
• 3 cups rolled oats (or 2 cups oats and 1 cup Grape Nuts)
• 1 cup puffed grains (like brown rice)
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup banana chips, chopped or broken if desired*

the love:

1. Preheat your oven to 325° and prep your biggest baking sheet (I line mine with parchment).
2. Whisk together the peanut butter, honey, water, oil and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Add the oats, puffs, flax and cinnamon and stir well.
4. Spread the granola on a baking sheet and bake about 30 minutes, stirring a few times during baking.
5. Remove from the oven, stir in the banana chips and let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

notes:

*If you have access to a place that sells those gooey, chewy, whole dried bananas, try chopping those up and adding them to this granola instead of banana chips.  They have much more flavor than banana chips-- they're just a little hard to find.