By Last week of training camp before the season opens. We are ready. I've been coaching for sixteen years and I know when a team is ready in the way you know, which is not from the scoreboard but from the quality of attention in their eyes when you're talking, the way they move through their assignments with a combination of instinct and intention that only comes when they've truly internalized the work. This team is ready. I'm not going to say more than that. The games will say the rest.
Two-a-days this week. Heat index over ninety every afternoon. I run camp in the mornings and the evenings and let the players rest in the afternoon, which is how it's done correctly and which some old-school coaches consider soft. Those coaches are wrong. Rested players practice better than exhausted ones. Science supports this. Common sense supports this. The only argument for destroying your players in two-a-days is tradition, and tradition is not a strategy.
Diego starts fifth grade next week. He's been running with me this summer with enough consistency that I've watched him develop a runner's relationship with his body — he knows when to push and when to hold, he knows his pace, he's learned to read how his legs feel rather than just how hard he's trying. This is a skill that takes runners years. He's building it at ten. I find this remarkable. I also find it familiar. He's doing what I always did — approaching sport with more intention than is strictly necessary. This is either a gift or a trait that requires management. Possibly both.
The season starts Friday. I'm wearing the dog tags. For Ruben, same as always. For Hector. For every player who ever came through this program carrying something heavy. For all of it. Let's play ball.
When the week is this focused — two-a-days, heat indexes over ninety, Diego logging miles beside me before the sun gets serious — I don’t want food that competes for my attention. I want something I make once, something honest and clean that sits in a jar on the counter and does its job. This granola has been that thing for me all summer. A handful before a morning run, a bowl after film review. It asks nothing and gives back more than it should.
The BEST Healthy Granola
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 10
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup raw pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or chopped dried apricots (added after baking)
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 325°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, chopped nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until evenly distributed.
- Add wet ingredients. Pour the maple syrup (or honey), melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract over the dry mixture. Stir well until every oat and nut is coated.
- Spread and bake. Spread the mixture in a single, even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Press it down lightly with a spatula — this helps form clusters. Bake for 22–25 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through, until the granola is golden and fragrant. Watch carefully in the last 5 minutes; it browns quickly.
- Cool completely. Remove from the oven and let the granola cool on the pan without stirring. It will crisp up as it cools. This is where the clusters form — resist the urge to touch it.
- Add dried fruit. Once fully cooled, break into clusters and fold in the dried cranberries or fruit of your choice.
- Store. Transfer to an airtight container or jar. Keeps at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 280 | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 55mg