Nature’s Hand Granola

We are pleased to share with our fabulous readers a little about Nature’s Hand Granola.  Nature’s Hand was founded in 1971 in Burnsville, Minnesota (about half way between our houses!).  They only use premium, all-natural ingredients–no artificial colors or flavors; no preservatives; no sodium and no trans fats.

Lindsi and her family are granola freaks and Jamie is a granola newbie.  We were excited when we were contacted to write a review for Nature’s Hand.  We each received two flavors of our choice along with a surprise money saving coupon for Greek yogurt and a super cool glass bowl with a lid.  Both Lindsi and Jamie chose Maple Pecan (great minds think alike) while our second choices were Cinnamon Apple and Vanilla Almond respectively.

Initial thoughts:

• The boldly colored packaging for this granola are great! Each bag is resealable (which is good for granola because if left to air it will get “soggy”) and has a see through window to give you a sneak peek of what is inside.
• Jamie thought the bags were a bit small but was quickly corrected by Lindsi who said that they are normal size for granola because a little goes a long way.
• Nature’s Hand states their calories, fat, sodium and sugars right on the front of the bag when most companies hide it on the back under nutritional facts.  It goes to show that they are proud to be health conscious.

Taste/Texture thoughts:

• Nature’s Hand is the first granola that Jamie has tried and liked straight out of the bag.  It didn’t taste like cardboard and it wasn’t dry.  She couldn’t put the bag down after her initial taste!
• Lindsi is more of a “granola pro” and really liked that Nature’s Hand offered a variety of flavors and wasn’t bland a lot of other brands. She also really liked that it didn’t instantly get soggy with milk and stayed crunchy though out.
• Both thought Nature’s Hand was great straight out of the bag, in milk, or in tasty treats (see below).  It is hands down one of the better tasting and textured granola out there!

One really cool thing about Nature’s Hand granola’s website is that it features a few recipes on it.  You can spend time searching the internet for ideas, but they provide great suggestions for using granola in everyday treats and snacks.  Jamie made the Peanut Butter Bars from the website using the Maple Pecan granola and they were a HUGE hit with the whole family (and a few of Hubby’s co-workers)!  Lindsi searched the internet and made a great home-made granola bar using the Cinnamon Apple and packed them in the kids lunch boxes.

Nature’s Hand granola uses whole grains unlike a lot of other brands who bake and process the grains to the point where they do not even look natural anymore.  Both Jamie and Lindsi were impressed with how tasty and natural their product really was. They really are what they claim to be!  Nature’s Hand granola is stocked in major food and health retailers across the United States or it can be ordered online at natureshand.com.  We highly suggest you try them out whether you are a newbie like Jamie or a granola freak like Lindsi.

P.S. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter too!