My new favorite part of waking up is a breakfast of crunchy granola from Nature's Hand. Their flavors include Maple Pecan, Wild Blueberry, Cranberry Delight, Raisin Hazelnut, and Cinnamon Apple, my favorite of all. Nature's Hand is made in Minnesotra and they use quality ingredients, like real sugar, molasses and honey to sweeten the whole grain wheat and oats. I especailly love the plentiful sunflower seeds in the mix that add a sublte nutty flavor. None of their granola includes unpronounceable ingredients that look like they belong in science experiments.

I've heard so much contradictory news about whether or not granola is healthful - yes, there's fiber and protein, but sometimes an awful lot of sugar. After a little investigating, I determined that Nature's Hand has a very similar profile to my other favorite granolas, from Nature's Path, Bear Naked and Kashi. Nature's Hand tends to have 10-20 calories more per 1/4 cup, but that doesn't bother me too much. Eating a small bowl, with 2% milk, keeps me full until lunch. The granola is sweet enough to perk me up in the morning and satisfy my sweet tooth, but not so sweet that I feel like I need to immediately brush my teeth.

I tried making Granola Muffins with the French Vanilla Almond granola and they turned out splendidly. The granola added a nice crunch to the soft muffins. For a simple breakfast, I love layering Nature's Hand with plain yogurt and fresh berries to offer a nice juicy contrast with the dried fruit in some of their flavors.

Nature's Hand Granola is available at Jewel, Mariano's Fresh Market, Whole Foods and more retailers.