A real and healthy alternative

I have been wanting to make my own granola bars for some time now.    I don't like buying boxes of food with a multitude ingredients I can't pronounce and sugar content that makes me wince.  Granola bars, as we know them, are glorified candy bars, in my humble opinion.  Yet, what is the easiest thing to stick into that sack lunch I make for my oldest, my husband and myself?  Yep, you got it and so I continue this cycle and feel horrible everytime!!!  Enough already!!  I want to feel good about what I'm putting into my kid's bodies and my own!
 A few weeks ago while at my friend Amy's, I tried her first attempt at homemade granola bars and they were delicious.  We both talked about wanting a recipe that was more chewy than crunchy, which equals far less mess with kids (or adults) around.  I came across this chewy looking granola bar on the blog "Can you stay for dinner?"  I added a few things and tweaked a few others (I am me after all) and my boys helped me put this recipe together in their first of "Mama's summer cooking classes".   It was easy enough for my 5 and 8 year old to follow (with some help from Mom) and so incredibly tasty and CHEWY!!!  These bars BEND folks!!  So if you are looking for a healthy & tasty alternative to snack bars full of high fructose corn syrup, processed grains and sugars galore look no further, this is your bar!  With oats, nuts, wheat bran, dried fruit and honey, you just can't go wrong!

Toasty Oat & Fruit Bars 
Ingredients:
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sliced or ground nuts (your favorite - I used almonds)
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 cup dried fruit (I used cherries & craisins)
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
3/4 cup honey
1 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger added to own desired tastes (optional)

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 9X13 pan with foil and spray foil with oil or cooking spray.
Spread oats over large baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes.
After oats toast, reduce temperature to 300 degrees.
Pour toasted oats into a large bowl.  Mix in nuts, wheat bran, dried fruit and sesame seeds.
Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.  Add honey, brown sugar, vanilla, salt and spices (if desired). 
When butter mixture boils, remove from heat and pour over oat mixture.
Mix well and pour into prepared 9X13 pan.
Wet your hands and press mixture into pan evenly.
Bake at 300 for 25 minutes (until top is golden).

Allow bars to cool for at least 2 hours before cutting.  I turned them over on a cutting board and peeled off the foil then cut into desired size.

Enjoy!!


Click here for printable recipe.

What do you do when it snows?

Yesterday was the very first snow fall of the season here in Yakima, Washington.  It was lovely to watch the giant flakes fall from the sky.  I was at work and couldn't help but smile at the kids as they shrieked their joy at finding snow on the playground.  I confess to feeling rather kid-like myself.  I stood in it for 10 minutes, just letting it fall around me and enjoying the peaceful quiet that seems to accompany snow.  After that, all I wanted to do was go home, make some hot tea, put on Christmas music and bake (especially after reading that my friend Austyn was doing just that)!  So as soon as contractually possible, I grabbed my stuff and my kids and headed for home.  On went Pandora and Christmas music and out came the recipe for carmel corn from my friend's mom.  What could be better than ending the evening of the first snow fall with carmel corn and the movie White Christmas?  Yes, maybe I'm jumping the gun for some of you out there, but it felt so right.  I was literally dancing about my house, unable to contain the joy inside.  It was contageous.  All my guys joined in the singing and cooking and ALL of us enjoyed a night by the fire watching a great Christmas classic.

May you be filled with some delicious carmel corn & winter joy yourself!!

Carmel Corn  (Recipe by Vicky Kehrer)
Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

Method:
*  Melt butter in large saucepan.
*  Stir in sugar & syrup. 
*  Bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes.
*  Stir occasionally.
*  Remove from heat.
*  Stir in salt, soda & vanilla
*  Pour mixture over popcorn.
*  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hours, stirring every 15 mintues.
*  Cool on waxpaper

*** Warning!  This is definitely NOT health food, but it's oh so worth it!

Click here for printable version.

C is for crunchy and that's good enough for me!!!

Last year I found a recipe for homemade granola that looked great. I made quite a few changes because I can never leave well enough alone. The result was one of the best tasting and best smelling items I'd ever made. It is great in cereal, in a yogurt parfait, over ice cream or just by itself. Make several batches and put it in a mason jar and it makes a great looking and great tasting gift!

Hope you enjoy this as much as my family does!!!

Groovy Granola (my younger son named it)

Ingredients:
2 cups jumbo oats
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (you can use sunflower seeds as well)
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 cup of nut mixture - (I use hazelnuts, almonds and roasted walnuts, all cut in halves)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried sweeten cranberries

Method:
Preheat oven to 275 degrees
Mix together the oats, seeds and nuts in a large bowl.
Heat the oil and honey in a large saucepan until melted, then remove the pan from the heat.
Stir cinnamon and vanilla into the melted honey mixture.
Add the oat mixture and stir well.

Spread out on one or two baking sheets.
Bake for about 50 minutes, until crisp, stirring occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking.

Remove from the oven and mix in the dried cherries and cranberries.Leave to cool, then store in an airtight container (or share with a friend :))


Click here for printable version of recipe: