Author: VMcMahan

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Tier 2 of Our Granola Company Values: Healthy Planet

granola company sustainable values

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times: there’s only one planet Earth and it’s our job to take care of it. As a family-oriented granola company, we’re also future-oriented. And we think that means making sustainable choices now that leave the planet better for the next generations. That’s why tier two of our values is, fittingly, supporting a healthy planet. 

 

Why we gave our granola company three-part values

When we purchased Little Red Wagon Granola over a year ago, we had fallen in love with the hand-baked, delicious granola. And the company’s commitment to supporting local. 

We added our own three-part values because, first and foremost, we think a company (even a granola company) should stand for more than just its products or services. This month’s blog focuses on our dedication to sustainability and making this planet as healthy as we can. 

 

How we support our goal of a healthy planet 

Sustainability in packaging, sourcing, and consumption are all equally important. The key here is that it’s not just up to food companies (like us), it’s also up to individuals (like you!) to make a difference. 

 

Sustainable packaging

We’re so excited that our new packaging has begun hitting the shelves of our favorite grocery stores (maybe you’ve seen them?!). The vibrant packages do more than make you smile as you put a bag (or five) in your shopping cart. 

Our sustainable packaging means these beauties use non-toxic ink from a manufacuter that reduces greenhouse gas emmission. Plus, they’re fully recyclable. After you’ve finished your last bowl of granola, just drop them off at a Store Drop Off location. 

 

Healthy, sustainably-sourced ingredients

Scroll through the granola shop on our site or turn your bag over, and you’ll find a deliciously short ingredient list. We left out the bad stuff in favor of ingredients you can pronounce that we intentionally source. If you read our blog on sustainably sourced oats, you know that we work with a small farm in Canada that’s committed to minimally processed, delicious oat-producing. 

The nuts, dried fruits, and other scrumptious add-ins are equally intentional. You won’t find any unnecessary ingredients on our lists. Because we know how important good food is for our customers and the planet.  

 

Waste reduction 

Did you know that about 80 billion pounds of food are thrown away annually in the United States? We don’t know about you, but that makes us want to eat every last crumb. Food waste might be only one piece of the healthy planet pie (had to), but we’re committed to doing our part to decrease it.

That’s why we designed an efficient process that ensures all food goes from our bakery to our customers with as little waste as possible during production. This also means that we purchase ingredients from and partner with brands that also make commitments to minimal waste. And use every last crumb! 

 

More than your average granola company 

At Little Red Wagon Granola, we want you to feel good about every bag you buy. And with each purchase you’ll be getting more than just crunchy, perfectly baked and spiced granola clusters. You’ll also be getting our commitment as a company to one of the most important things––a healthy planet. Now that’s worth celebrating. 

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Recipes

Green Oatmeal Raisin Muffins Just in Time for St. Paddy’s

green oatmeal raisin muffins

Spring is nearly here and St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner! We are all ready to move on from the dark, cold days of winter to the warmer, sunnier days of spring.  New Year’s resolutions may have started to get dusty, but we all could use a little more green in our diets.  What better way to get more green in our diets, than by starting the day with a healthy dose of spinach? Our green oatmeal raisin muffins are a simple and delicious way to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into the most important meal of the day.  Try prepping a batch on the weekend to have a healthy breakfast on the go during the week.  You could also bake a batch on St. Paddy’s Day to get a festive start to the day!

 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 5.5 oz (~1.5 cups) Original granola (complete with oats and raisins!)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1/3 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 cup milk of choice
  • One large banana
  • 4 oz raw baby spinach
  • One egg
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat Oven to 350°F and line 12 muffin wells with baking cups.*
  2. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients: flour, Original granola, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. With a blender, add milk, banana, spinach, maple syrup, coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Blend until all ingredients are well incorporated.
  4. Add wet mixture to dry mix until just incorporated.
  5. Divide mixture between 12 lined muffin cups.
  6. Bake for 20-22 mins at 350°F until muffins are just browned.
  7. Remove oatmeal raisin muffins from pan when cool enough to handle.  Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before enjoying. 

 

*If you have silicone baking cups or a silicone pan, the use of silicone will minimize sticking.  Regular muffin liners will have some sticking to the muffins.

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Tier 1 of Little Red Wagon Granola Values: Healthy People

little red wagon granola employees

In the last year, we’ve all seen how an imbalance between work and everything else can wear on people. And if 2020 taught us anything, it’s that we could all do with a lot less stress in our lives. The first tier of our Little Red Wagon Granola values is healthy people––supporting those that make our company what it is. 

Little Red Wagon Granola tiered values

Because our values are three-tiered, we want to give customers a chance to learn about each one in-depth. We developed these tiered values because we believe that every company should stand for something and work toward making the world and their employee’s lives better. Our focus this month is on healthy people and how we try to maintain that value across our business, especially when it comes to how we treat our employees.

How we support our goal of healthy people

We wouldn’t be where we are today without our incredible employees. They’re the people who embody Little Red Wagon Granola values and work tirelessly to craft delicious, quality granola. We support our ‘healthy people’ value in three big ways: work-life balance, competitive wages, and comprehensive benefits. 

Work-life balance

If you look at recent work-life statistics, they’re pretty shocking. Over half of US employees need help managing this balance. And 25% surveyed felt work-related stress to the point of screaming. We think we can do better. 

That’s why we gave our employees a Monday through Thursday schedule (nine-hour days). So each week they have an extra day to regroup and relax. This schedule helps employees take care of their life outside of work, spend extra time with family and friends, go to a weekday appointment, and practice self-care. 

Competitive Wage

No matter how a business shows or says they value their employees if the pay does not reflect their values, it’s probably not the best place to work. We offer our employees a competitive, liveable wage so they can fully enjoy their work with one less thing to worry about. 

Comprehensive Benefits

We think benefits play an important role in a balanced life. Since they’re not scrambling to find time or resources to stay healthy, our employees can focus on what matters. To support this, we offer competitive health benefits and paid time off. 

And although we can’t go out because of COVID, we make it a point to pause, celebrate, and indulge for the holidays and important milestones throughout the year. Even at six feet apart. We are a food company after all, so we enjoy good food and ‘breaking bread’ together to show our team that they’re appreciated. 

Granola with intention 

When you purchase a bag of Little Red Wagon Granola, you’re supporting a team of highly dedicated and passionate individuals. Every cluster of granola in every bag is baked with intention and quality in mind––by people who are encouraged to have balance in every facet of their lives.

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Recipes

Red Velvet Overnight Oatmeal Recipe for a Special Breakfast

red velvet overnight oatmeal recipe

 

Plan a special start to the day with this red velvet overnight oatmeal recipe. This decadent— but secretly healthy—treat is the perfect blend of creamy coconut, crunchy-chewy mocha granola, and satisfying cocoa. 

Treat yourself, your honey, or your kids to this delicious treat for a hearty breakfast or dessert. 

 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Mocha Granola
  • 1-2 tbsp cocoa 
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • ½ cup coconut milk (cream)
  • 4 oz. condensed milk
  • ½ cup cooked beets (canned or Love Beets)
  • Optional toppings: fresh raspberries, whipped cream, baking chocolate

Directions

  1. In a blender, measure and pour ½ cup coconut milk. If you are using canned coconut milk, we recommend adding more of the cream from the top of the can which will create a more mousse-like texture.
  2. Add the condensed milk to the blender. This amount can be adjusted based on your preference for sweetness. If you want it sweeter, add more condensed milk. If you would like it less sweet, add in more of the coconut milk.
  3. Add 1 tbsp vanilla and 1 tbsp cocoa (more if you want it) into the mixture in the blender.
  4. Add approximately ½ cup of beets into the blender mixture. The beets will give you the beautiful red color and add nutrition that isn’t found in food coloring. If you’re worried about the taste, you can go a little lighter on the beets.  
  5. Blend the mixture thoroughly until everything is smooth. Taste and adjust the sweetness, vanilla, and cocoa to your own preference. Re-blend as needed. Note: The beet taste is less prominent once the flavors marry.
  6. Add the Mocha granola into the mixture and stir (don’t blend) well to incorporate. If you like your oatmeal a little thicker, add more granola. If you like your oatmeal a little thinner, add less granola.
  7. Empty the overnight oat mixture into mason jars or ramekins and refrigerate overnight. 
  8. Garnish in the morning with fresh fruit such as raspberries, whipped cream, and/or shaved chocolate.
  9. Enjoy!

 

Makes approximately two 8 oz servings. Red velvet overnight oatmeal recipe scales easily for your household.

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Recipes

Easy Baked Oatmeal Recipe Using Crunchy Monkey Granola

easy baked oatmeal recipe

 

A cold winter morning calls for a warm, hearty breakfast. One that you can enjoy in front of a crackling fireplace with a cup of coffee or tea. Or with your family during a laughter-filled Sunday brunch. If you’ve been craving energy and comfort during the slower winter months, we have the perfect easy baked oatmeal recipe using our Crunchy Monkey Granola. 

Cinnamon, chocolate chips, and bananas come together for the perfect balance of spice and sweetness that the whole family’s sure to love. And the crunch of granola adds a surprising, fun texture. Plus, as a one-bowl recipe, it’s easy enough to enlist the youngest family members to help. 

So curl up on your couch, sip on something warm, and indulge in this delicious breakfast treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag Crunchy Monkey Granola
  • 2 cups milk (can use alternative milk like almond)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease an 8×8 baking pan. (We like to use butter, but any cooking spray will do).
  2. In a large bowl, mix together milk, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and maple syrup.
  3. Slowly add a bag of Crunchy Monkey Granola to the wet mixture and stir well.
  4. Pour oatmeal mixture into baking pan and bake for approximately 35 minutes or until edges start to brown slightly.
  5. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes and then serve warm. Optional: serve with a side of greek yogurt or fresh whipped cream and sliced bananas. 

 

Need a quick pick-me-up before shoveling snow or logging onto virtual meetings? Make this easy baked oatmeal recipe on a Sunday for the week ahead. Simply reheat a serving in the oven or microwave and enjoy! 

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News

New Year, New Look. Introducing Our New Sustainable Food Packaging

Sustainable food packaging

Happy New Year! We’re starting 2021 with a new look and we have new sustainable food packaging and recyclable bags that should start making their way to you in the next month.  If you’ve been indulging in our delicious granolas for a while now, our current packaging is probably familiar to you. The kraft tin-tie bags with our iconic red wagon stickers carried us from our farmer’s market days to our expanding Little Red Wagon Granola family. We knew we wanted to have a new look but wanted to be true to our roots: classic, simple, and fun. 

Introducing our new sustainable food packaging

The new fully sealed bags will ensure that the granola you love will taste as fresh as the day we made it.  In turn, this can help reduce food waste and prevent food safety issues before they happen.  They are also recyclable and on the back of every bag, you’ll find the “Store Drop Off” label.  Please bring your bags to local retail stores where they collect plastic grocery bags for recycling.  

Part of our sustainability mission 

The bags are also sustainably made which is a win-win-win for the environment, our customers, and our company.  We strive, in all areas, to do things that are good for our customers, our employees, and for the environment. We believe that every product can positively impact the earth through the choices we make as a company. We’ve partnered with vendors that use industry best practices and leading technology to ensure that the bags are manufactured in a way that minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and VOCs.

Packing a punch with flavors and color 

Our granola flavors have always been special and now our bags pack a punch too with their vibrant colors that highlight our great recipes.  We hope you enjoy the new look. Please keep your eyes peeled for the new designs at your favorite community grocery store.  

Grab your new bag!

Whether you’re a long-time fan or just stumbled upon our granola, now’s the time to try a bag!  With our fresh look and new sustainable food packaging, we’re ready to start the new year on a positive note. We are looking forward to all the good (and snackable moments) to come and hope you are too!

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Recipes

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Recipe with Little Red Wagon Cosmopolitan Granola

oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe

 

 

One of the best parts of Christmas is the cookies. Our Cosmopolitan granola bakes up such a delicious oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe that even Santa will want a bite.

 

Ingredients

  • 16 oz. bag Cosmopolitan Granola
  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Zest of 1 medium orange
  • 1 package (10 to 12 ounces) white baking chips

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl combine a bag of Cosmopolitan granola and 1 cup of warm milk. Toss to coat and let sit while preparing the cookie dough.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. We made our cookies with coconut sugar, but use the sugar of choice.
  3. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until well mixed.
  4. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and baking salt; add to the sugar and butter mixture in thirds until just incorporated. 
  5. Stir in the Cosmopolitan granola mixture and orange zest by hand. Stir in baking chips by hand.
  6. Cookie mixture may be sticky. Cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour if you want to make them easier to work with. If you don’t want to wait, just go ahead warm the oven and bake them.  They will still taste delicious.
  7. Preheat oven to 350°F. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
  8.  Bake at 350°F until the edges are lightly browned, approximately 10-12 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

Oatmeal cranberry cookie recipe yields a few dozen cookies, depending on size.

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News

The Difference Sustainably Sourced Oats Make in Our Whole Grain Granolas

sustainably sourced oats in whole grain granola

At Little Red Wagon Granola, our mission has always been to source the best ingredients. So that you can taste the difference in every bite. And the basis of any great granola is high-quality oats. We use sustainably sourced oats as the key ingredient in each of our whole grain granolas. Which gives you all of the quality and none of the fluff. 

Where We Get Our Oats 

To make the freshest, most flavorful granola we needed quality oats that were delicious solo but could hold their own against our flavor profiles. Every perfect cluster of Little Red Wagon features Northerly Oats. These minimally-processed oats come from a sustainable agriculture farm in Canada that cares as much about their products as the people who consume them. 

Benefits of Using Sustainably Sourced Oats

Part of our mission is to use sustainably grown ingredients in line with our healthy food, healthy people, healthy food mindset. For our oats, sustainable growth means they use modern technology and traditional methods “to meet today’s food needs, without starving the future.” Other benefits of these oats include:

Flavor

The lack of preservatives or additives in our oats makes them naturally sweet, nutty, and creamy. But they’re also subtle enough to let flavors like Chunky Monkey and Cosmopolitan be the stars in our whole-grain granola.

Texture

Check out the bottom of the bag on competitor granolas and you’ll see mostly powder––something that comes from using lower quality oats that break and crumble during the production process. At Little Red Wagon Granola, we call these lower quality oats “fluffy” oats. Our minimally processed, hearty, consistently sourced oats result in the clusters that we all love and enjoy. When baked to perfection, our granola becomes crisp, crunchy, and delicately nutty clusters of goodness and joy.  

Consistency

Because of supplier consistency, every grain in every bag is the same high quality. Even more impressive, the folks over at Northerly can tell us exactly how, where, and when each individual grain was grown. So each batch of our granola is also consistently flavorful and delicious.

Taste the Difference in Our Whole Grain Granolas 

We’re all about balance at Little Red Wagon Granola. And whole-grain granola that’s balanced for the good of our customers and our planet starts with sustainably sourced oats. Taste the difference today by trying one, or preferably all, of our unique flavors.