If you’re thinking about a family road trip this year, make this simple homemade granola recipe to take with you! You can pick up all of the ingredients you need while getting your vehicle’s oil changed with Pennzoil at Walmart.
I grew up taking road trips with my parents and I want The Boy to experience the same. We took our first long road trip last Spring – from Cape Cod to Orlando. It was a fun adventure and we loved {almost} every minute of the trip. When prepping for our trip, I knew that we would need snacks that were fairly mess-free, like apples and oranges, but am smart enough to know that we’d quickly tire of those. As I think about this year’s road trip {destination unknown}, I decided to begin working on a simple homemade granola recipe.
It’s a good thing I was thinking about taking a road trip because that prompted me to check the oil level in our vehicle. Wouldn’t you know, our engine oil level was at 19%. I was heading to Walmart already, so I pulled around the side of the store into the Automotive Care Center. It must have been my lucky day – no one else was waiting!
After talking with the Automotive Care specialist, we determined that a High Mileage Vehicle service was best for the vehicle. If the vehicle you’re driving has more than 75,000 miles on the odometer, you’ll want to consider that type of oil change as well. The Automotive Care specialist explained that a High Mileage Vehicle oil change helps to reduce leaks and oil consumption in worn or higher mileage engines. It’s a motor oil that is specifically designed for new or late model vehicles with over 75,000 miles, to help keep the engines running clean and going strong for a long time. That’s just what we need!
She also explained that Pennzoil also offers a free warranty that covers 15 engine parts that may fail due to engine wear or which experience abnormal wear due to friction. You can learn more about on their warranty page.
I dropped my vehicle off in the automotive care center and hit the aisles for everything I needed to make this simple homemade granola.
What You’ll Need
2 Cups Old-Fashioned Oats {not the quick cooking}
2 Cups Raw Nuts {I used 1 cup raw almonds and 1 cup raw cashews}
1 Cup Dried Fruit {I like the combination of raisins and dried cranberries}
1/4 TSP salt
1 TSP ground cinnamon
1/4 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips {optional}
2 TBSP butter, melted
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1 TSP vanilla extract {the real stuff}
What You’ll Do
Preheat oven to 325. Prep baking sheet by either spraying with non-stick spray, greasing with butter, or lining with parchment paper.
Combine oats, nuts, and dried fruits in a large bowl.
Add cinnamon and salt. The salt brings out the sweetness and prevents your granola from tasting bitter. Mix well with a wooden spoon to combine.
In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add maple syrup and vanilla extract. Stirring until thoroughly blended.
Add butter mixture to the oat mixture. Stir well with a rubber spatula.
Pour onto prepared baking sheet, reduce oven temperature to 300 and bake for 30 minutes.
Let’s talk more about the Automotive Care Center at Walmart for a bit. You’re given a slip of paper with a bar code on it that allows you to check the status of your vehicle at any price verifier in the store. Pretty cool, right? I love that I can get my oil changed AND get my shopping done at the same time. Not only were the ingredients I needed for this simple homemade granola available at lower prices at Walmart, my oil change was significantly cheaper, too. That leaves us with a little more money to put in the road trip vacation fund!
If you like to change your oil yourself, you can grab Pennzoil at Walmart in the auto care section. Before you shop, be sure to check out the promotions available from the free mobile savings app Ibotta. Starting January 21, you can save $5 off one 5-quart bottle of Pennzoil Platinum with PurePlus Technology. After doing that, you’re certain to work up an appetite.
This simple homemade granola is delicious on it’s own, or when added to a yogurt parfait. We always travel with a small cooler, so slipping a few parfaits in is a no brainer. You’ll want to eat the yogurt parfaits the same day you pack them in your cooler. To create a parfait, simply layer homemade granola and yogurt, alternating as you fill the glass.
My preference is to store our homemade granola in mason jars, but if you feel uneasy about having glass in your vehicle, zip top bags work just as well.
Once you’ve changed the oil in your vehicle and made this simple homemade granola for a snack, where would you take your family on a road trip? Would you head toward the sunshine state or creep north for some fun in the mountains? Perhaps you’ll pack the car and head for Phoenix to catch the big game?
Whatever your destination, have fun and make memories!
First, I must say, beautiful pictures! I love Walmart automotive and hope to get one near us soon! I’ve never made home made granola but should.
Thanks so much! Try the granola, you’ll love it.
I eat nuts by the fistful! Cashews do not stay stocked here at all. I would love to mix it up and try some recipes.
I have actually never attempted to make my own granola, which seems silly now because I mix it into my yogurt almost every morning. I must try this.
We used to make homemade granola all the time. After reading this, I remember why, as well as how long it’s been. Im adding this to our weekend plans. SO yummy!
We love making homemade granola. I will have to give this recipe a try but will have to leave out the nuts as I am allergic to them.
Maybe switch out seeds in place of the nuts? Some people like pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in their granola.
Funny I bought some sesame seeds and sunflower seeds to go with the other ingredients! Great minds think alike!
This looks delicious! I love granola. It’s tasty and so good for you. Thanks!
Yum! I just adore homemade granola. I am going to have to give your recipe a try. It is one of my favorite things to take on vacation for breakfast in our room… or even just to munch on in the car as a snack.
I love homemade granola. There are so many ways that you can change it up to always have something different.
That looks amazing! I should make these at home, since my oldest bought some the other day at the store and paid almost $7 for the serving! It would be so much cheaper to make your own!
It is cheaper and you can customize the flavors, too!
A great combination of flavors! And I love the idea of doing my grocery shopping while my car is getting a tune-up. I really need to try that one of these days.
I am in Canada and it is cold. I would head south. This looks yummy
Oh – stay warm up there! It’s chilly here on Cape Cod, too.
Wow not only does this look delicious the jars look so pretty filled! I love this, such a great and delicious idea!
I love the way you prepare for a fun outing! Taking care of the car and making that granola is on my list for our perfect outdoor days in South Florida!
What’s great about this post is how I’m learning how super easy it is to make your own granola. No more store bought, full of preservatives for me!
Wow, I’m going to have to try making my own. I love granola!
I’d love to have some homemade granola around for breakfast. The cranberry and raisin combo is a definite YES from me.
I love granola. I didn’t know it was so simple to make your own. I need to try this.
This looks amazing! I am going to try this recipe.
I love making homemade granola. Good stuff. I miss the days of being able to drop my car in the auto department and then shopping. My local WalMart is a bit of a drive and doesnt have an auto center.
that is a great idea for granola. It looks really delcious
That granola looks delicious. I will definitely have to try it!
Granola is so good for you and this is so easy to make. I would love to take this to work for lunch or snacks.
I love granola with a passion, this would be so fun to make and just in general awesome to have around the house!
I have never made homemade granola but I would love to try this recipe. It looks delicious. We have taken several road trips to different parts of the US and we always have so much fun. This time of year I would most likely stay in the west because of the weather. Maybe just a short trip to San Diego.
I’m dreaming of a sunny trip to somewhere like San Diego! Today it’s gray and raining here.
I love granola. This one looks so easy. Beautiful photos!
Thanks, Tess!
This looks delicious. I need to start making my own because it can get quite expensive from the store!
That’s why I started making my own. I like that I can control the ingredients, too.
We moved up to upstate New York several years ago, and we’re still trying to explore all of the different areas up here! The coast of Maine is definitely on my roadtrip list. I’ll have to swing by the Walmart Auto Care Center before hopping in the car, though. Thanks for sharing! #client
Are you near Saranac Lake/Lake Placid? It is gorgeous there! And don’t forget about Burlington, Vermont. That is one of the coolest towns in New England!
What a great idea to make your own granola. I can think of so many healthy and yummy addins I’d like for my son personal recipe.