'Nola Bars

Yesterday I wanted to make a treat that was going to a) warm up the house, b)taste yummy, and c)be healthy-ish. I asked for ideas on my facebook page. I LOVE my friends, they always have great ideas and suggestions. Someone suggested Caramel Cookies....it's a weight watchers recipe and sounds awesome...but the kids didn't want them this time. I will make them and post about it, though another time. I'm hoping to have time to make them today or tomorrow. Someone else suggested granola. Well, every time I make granola, I'm the only one that eats it unless it's granola bars, then I barely get one before my vultures kids have them gone. I found a recipe on allrecipes that sounded good and I bought some wheat germ a while back to make granola bars and lost the recipe that called for it. The one I made yesterday was really good! I cut back on the sugar, skipped the raisins, and trimmed the salt just a tad and they were so good! Oh, I added chocolate chips, too. I made a double batch and put them in an 11x17 pan which they filled nicely. Reviews for this one said that a single batch doesn't quite fill a 9x13 pan. Enjoy!

'Nola Bars

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar (1/2 cup is plenty)
1/2 cup wheat germ
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup ap flour
3/4 cup raisins (opt)
3/4 tsp salt (again, about 1/2 tsp is plenty)
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, sunflower seeds(opt)

Preheat oven to 350. Line a pan with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sugar, flour, wheat germ, cinnamon, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, egg, oil, and vanilla. Mix well with your hands (I used my big KitchenAid mixer.) Stir in any extras that you like. I used a whole bag of chocolate chips for a double batch. Pat the mixture into the prepared pan.

Bake for 18-30 minutes, depending on your oven. The edges should just start to brown. This will give you a nice chewy granola bar. Bake a bit longer for crunchy ones. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars and allow to cool completely.

A single batch makes 24 servings. Each serving is: 161 calories, 5.5 g fat, 1.4 g fiber, 2.4 g protien

BAKED Granola

Years ago, I was watching Martha Stewart and there were two dudes on there that owned a little bakery in Brooklyn called BAKED. I can't remember anymore what they were making, but I remember that it looked so good! But, like many things, it was in one ear and out the other. Fast forward to two weeks ago, one of the blogs that I read mentioned this cookbook that she read called BAKED: New Frontiers In Baking....and it was the same two dudes with the bakery in Brooklyn! So, I checked the online catalog for the library and they have it! I ordered it and got it and as we speak, I have granola baking. No HFCS here, folks, just lots of yummy goodness! I had a bit of a hard time finding hazelnuts, but the local food co-op/health food store had them...they are organic, so I guess that's a good thing, but not used to paying organic prices for things. The little bag was about $3 and there's about 1 cup in it. At least that's enough for 3 batches of granola! My house smells awesome with it baking!! Here's the recipe, I'll let you know how it is after it cools and I can add the raisins. I can't wait to try it in a fruit and yogurt parfait!!

Easy Homemade Granola

2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp + 1 tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/3 cup whole almonds
1/3 cup whole hazelnuts
1/3 cup golden raisins (I used regular because I had them)
1/3 cup dried cherries (I forgot to buy them, so didn't use)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment. (thanks for sending that home, mom!!!)

In a large bowl, mix the oats with the cinnamon and salt.

In a small bowl, mix the honey, vanilla, brown sugar, and oil. Whisk until well combined. Pour over the oats mixture and USE YOUR HANDS to mix it up. Grab it in handfuls, make a fist. Repeat until well mixed.

Pour this on your baking sheet. Spread evenly, but leave some clumps. Bake for 10 minutes. Use a metal spatula to flip the granola, sprinkle with the almonds.

Bake another 5 minutes. Flip again and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Bake another 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before sprinkling with raisins and cherries. Use your hands to transfer to an airtight container. This will keep for a week. Enjoy!



**Post cooling edit: THIS IS AWESOME!! I love hazelnuts and they fit perfectly in this granola! I am having it on my strawberry yogurt this mornng. TJ loves it, too. It's EASY and totally worth the time!! Try it out!!

No-bake granola bars

I made these last night to have for the kids lunches this week. Semi-healthy and completely easy to make. They LITERALLY took less than 10 minutes to make. Riley and TJ helped, too! You can be creative with what you add to them, too. I modified the original recipe (of course!) so you have the one that I made....go from there. :)

No Bake Granola Bars

2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar (could probably use turbinado if you wanted to)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips, raisins, dried cherries/cranberries, coconut, etc. I used chocolate chips

In a large bowl, combine cereal, oatmeal and any non-melting add-in that you like. Dried fruit or nuts, etc. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and honey. Bring to a boil stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla; blend until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to combine. Allow to cool a bit before adding chocolate chips or other melty add-in. Press this mixture into a 9x13 pan lined with wax paper. (Press hard so that it sticks together really well or you'll have a crumbly granola that really isn't a bar) Allow to cool completely before pulling it out of the pan and cutting into bars. Originally recipe states that it makes 24 servings. I used a pizza cutter to cut mine and that worked really well. They stay pretty soft and chewy. Enjoy!