Ian and I went to New Zealand for two weeks in February, and one of the most delicious discoveries was Bumper Bars, a quasi-granola bar/candy bar thing that we pretended was healthy because we were On Holiday.

The apricot-chocolate one was the best, and I’ve been wanting to recreate it since.  So I scoured the internet, found a Real Simple recipe, and made some improvements – i.e. added more chocolate and more apricots.

I made them with the idea that I would take them to work for breakfast, but Ian and I scarfed a third of the pan before they were even cool.  We’re calmed down, sliced them up and put the rest away, but its clear that my vision of a healthy granola breakfast bar hasn’t panned out – they are a victim of their own success.

I’ve been using Smitten Kitchen’s breakfast crumble recipe for a few months now – so much so that the guy at the Turkish International Supermerkert has commented on my plum consumption (he also asked me if I’d been swimming yesterday.  I hadn’t, I was just that sweaty after zumba class). I keep upping the size of the recipe and we keep eating it, and its a really easy way to prepare a week’s worth of breakfasts in one go.

Finally, I got into cacao nibs a few months ago, when I made cacao-banana-coffee muffins, which are delicious.  But the enduring success from the cacao experiment was refrigerator oatmeal, which I have been making several times a week since November – you soak oats overnight with milk, sugar, cacao and fruit.  Since I am less of a dirty hippie than I used to be, I use milk and processed sugar.  I eat it on the train while glaring at people doing their make-up (I mean seriously. I wish women would stop wearing makeup in general, but barring that, I wish they would stop putting it on while sitting next to me on the train).  I’m really sensitive to the smell of it, which makes me sneeze, and watching a woman with an eyelash curler in a public place just grosses me out).

Breakfast!

Specially marked boxes of Quaker oatmeal have a coupon for $2 off when you purchase Quaker granola bars.  This coupon expires September 31, 2013.

I can appreciate the convience of a “grab and go” bar and one great store-bought alternative I have found are Larabars. They’re made with simple healthy ingredients and I buy them in bulk at Loblaws Superstore, they come in a box of 16. On a side note you can also easily make Larabars at home with just a food processor, but that recipe is for another day.

Every Sunday I usually make a batch of granola bars for the week and lately these ones seem to be our favourite. I particularly like this recipe because they aren’t overly sweet and have just a hint of banana and I also love the slightly chewy texture. They’re a great snack or a quick on-the-go breakfast.

Ingredients -this recipe makes 8 bars
Adapted from ohsheglows

1/4 cup vanilla almond milk (or whatever you prefer)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 medium ripe banana
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup raisins
1.5 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 whole wheat flour (or whatever you have on hand)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Optional-a few chopped almonds or pepita seeds

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line an 8inch square pan with parchment paper.

2) In a bowl combine the vanilla almond milk, brown sugar, ground flaxseed, coconut oil, and vanilla.

3) Mash in the banana with a fork and add in the dried cranberries and raisins.

4) Then add in the rolled oats, shredded coconut, cinnamon, whole wheat flour, and baking powder and give it all a good stir.

5) Press the mixture into your pan and top with chopped almonds or pepita seeds, this is totally optional. Today I did a little of both.

6) Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges brown and let cool completely before cutting them into bars.

My kiddos love granola bars but i’m not really in love with all the extra processed ingredients in them, so i decided to try my hand at making my own because I can control exactly what is in them. I have tried a few different recipes but they have never really resembled the store bought ones the kids eat…they weren’t bad, just different. This was exactly what I was looking for because they hardened just enough to hold together and taste great! The recipe is extremely versitile….if you don’t have certain ingredients or would like to add others you can definitely do that. Dried fruits, different nuts, nut butters, and other goodies could all be subsituted for the nuts, seeds or chocolate chips in the recipe. Try it out and let me know what you come up with!

2 ½ cups rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
½ cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
½ cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup milled flaxseed (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
¼ cup raw honey
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup unsweetened dried, shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips (here is a dairy, nut and soy free option)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine oats, almonds, sesame seeds and flax meal in a large bowl. Once combined, spread on a large baking sheet covered with parchment paper or aluminum foil and pop in the oven for approximately 20 minutes to toast. Stir about every 5 minutes to prevent burning.

2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine honey, coconut oil and vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 minute, remove and stir. (Mixture will boil in microwave.)

3. In a large bowl, combine chocolate chips, shredded coconut, cinnamon and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.

4. Once the oat mixture is done toasting, let it cool for 5 minutes and then combine with the chocolate coconut mixture.

5. Add honey mixture to the dry ingredients and combine until all ingredients are wet. Stir very well until all ingredients are coated with the honey mixture.

6. Using your baking sheet lined with parchement or wax paper, gently spread the mixture evenly. Place another piece of wax paper on top so that you can press the mixture into itself, as well as level off the top.

7. Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hrs to harden.

8. Cut into 24 bars. Enjoy!

Makes 24 servings

There was a Fitness and Health Expo in town this weekend! First one its kind to ever come to Phoenix. I was PUMPED, since I kept hearing about it on the radio, and they were advertising free tickets being given away at a local health store. Seeing as how my commute home is an hour, I usually try not to make any extra stops unless it’s Friday and I’m not rushed. So, I waited until Friday to pick up tickets for my fiance and myself. I get there, wait 5 minutes just for someone to “help” me with my question…only for them to tell me they’re out of tickets?! Gee, maybe you should have advertised there were LIMITED amounts. Grr! So I’m pissed I have to pay $5 a pop to attend, but I really wanted to check it out, so whatever.

Saturday rolls around, and my fiance and I head to downtown Phoenix (about 25 miles away) to check out this expo. We get there and parking is SEVEN DOLLARS! What? There are a million places to park, and you’re charging $7?! Ok…I still want to check this out, so I caved. $17 later, we get there, and there are about 4 “healthy” food trucks, 2 beer carts and a couple of stands selling crappy “fair” foods. Um, what? Not to mention beer was also $7 for ONE – get OUT of here!

We walk into the first of two exhibit halls, and there are tons of booths lined up with anything having to do with health and fitness. We’re walking along, reading what the different products are, seeing what services they’re all offering, etc. Um, is ANYTHING in here “healthy”? The ONLY thing I came across that was relatively healthy was organic sprouted soy protein, but guess what? I think soy protein is worthless as far as muscle growth and recovery, so even though it’s all natural and organic – trash! We come across 5 hour energy shots (I don’t drink caffeine), Xyience energy drinks (ULTIMATE garbage, and again I don’t do caffeine), protein bars made with sugar alcohols. OH my GOD! There was not one single product that I would even consider “healthy”, and the ONE that I saw as healthy was completely worthless to me. Aspartame, sucralose, truvia, splenda…get away from me! So I’m mega pissed I spent the money at this point, and we walked out (almost) empty-handed. We came across a couple of B12 and melatonin samples (my fiance lives off of melatonin with working nights), plus the soy protein, so eh. Still not worth the money or time invested. We took the long way home, and took the tour through ghetto Phoenix and back down to our neighborhood. Fun trip, after the whole Fitness and Health expo thing that was a bust!

Anyway, we were WICKED busy yesterday, and with Easter being next weekend, and my mother wanting to meet up with us for a holiday lunch…we had tons to get done. I swear we didn’t rest until dinner, and then I went straight to bed. Yikes.

I’m forcing myself to go in for overtime until my job tells me I can’t anymore, since we’re struggling a bit financially, and the extra money sure would help. So, my alarm usually sounds off at 3:30am for me to arrive about 15 minutes before 6:00am. Today, and probably for the rest of eternity, it will be sounding off at about 3:15am. SICK!!! Money, money, money. Gotta keep telling myself that!

I came home and did my second Fit Test for the Insanity program. I forgot to mention: I weighed myself after waking up Saturday morning, only to find I’ve GAINED 2 pounds? Excuse me, Shaun T? But – I have to take a couple of things into consideration. I’m probably working muscles I’m not used to working, so that could account for some of the gain. I’m also eating about 400 calories more a day than my body is used to, and I’ve recently switched birth control pills for the 6th time in the last 6 months (thanks for discontinuing my standby for nearly 10 years!), so I think all of the above may have something to do with it. Regardless, I finished out week two strong, and I hammered out my Fit Test today! The first two exercises, I’m thinking: “what the hell? Why am I not getting any BETTER, and not getting in more reps?”. THEN it dawned on me – look at what I did last time, and make it a point to stay strong and get in more reps. I OWNED the last 6 exercises, making pretty significant increases in every area. It’s always been hard for me to push myself harder than I think I can go, so it’s still a learning process for me, and my body’s actual limits.

Anyway, I’ve got some down time before I need to shower and get some dinner in me, so I’ll share my lunches, dinner AND my successful granola bars this week.

Granola bars (I’m sorry, I’m really too lazy to upload photos today, so you’ll have to imagine all of these items, and imagine that they look SUPER delicious): I used hemp granola, flaxseed/pumpkin seed granola, some oats, honey, peanut butter, chia seeds (soaked in water first), whey protein isolate, a bit of coconut milk, and drizzled honey on top for the cinnamon to stick to. I baked them for 23 minutes at 350, then I let them cool for nearly an hour before cutting them into squares. They stuck together SO well, and I was SO pleased after having crumbly bars last week. Hooray!

Honey garlic stir fry: I made this for my lunches this week with a side of brown rice. It sounded super delicious, and it IS! Everything I imagined and more. Here’s the recipe, if you’re interested:

http://www.eatcleandiet.com/the_kitchen_table/recipe/recipe.aspx?id=97

I’m egged-out, after having eggs/egg whites every night for dinner for 2 weeks so I’ve moved on to sandwiches this week! Ezekiel bread with a dab of mustard, some Applegate naturals smoked turkey (the most clean deli meat I could find: ingredients are turkey, water, less than 2% salt and carrageenan), and spinach/kale. I’ve read multiple things regarding carrageenan, but what I can gather is this: the studies that have been done are unable to be verified. I’ve been hearing about food studies my entire life (my dad is an agricultural chemist of 35 years), and I can tell you that most scientists would agree that many studies are not controlled enough. Unless you study someone from birth, there are way too many factors to take into consideration that wouldn’t necessarily make your test results accurate, since there could be other things contributing to your end results. Anyway, I hate when people link everything to “cancer” as a cop-out, because damn near everything (or nothing) can cause cancer. Let’s be real.

Enough on my food rant! That’s what I’m having this week, along with my Isagenix breakfast shakes, massive amounts of watermelon, some grapes, carrots, that peanut butter fro-yo crap (I can’t stop making it, ahh!), almonds…and whatever else I eat in there.

I know – it’s only MONDAY, but it’s also the last week of March, so make it count! I’ll be getting my Insanity workouts in every day this week, even though I’m getting up at 3:15am, getting home around 3:15pm and being in bed before 8:00pm. EXERCISE over EXCUSES, people! I’ll end on this:

I don’t find the time to exercise, I make the time to exercise.

This batch was much more to my liking; sweet but not as overpowering as the last one.

Can you tell what I put into these?

Granola, wheat germ, flax-seed, almonds, currants, coconut (fine shreds need to go-I want big pieces of coconut) carob chips, and of course my binder is brown rice syrup.

The crowning achievement was baking the mixture in a flat jelly roll pan rather than the 9 x 13 baking dish. The texture of this batch is semi chewy yet with a crispiness as well. Next time I am going to try some organic almond or peanut butter and see if I can cut out more of the syrup.

Briefly in other late week news:

The youngest daughter is off on spring break with her boyfriend to Cabo San Lucas. I felt rather silly that I really had no idea exactly where in Mexico Cabo is located. If you are as dense as myself then here’s a map. It is right on the tip of the Baja peninsula. It’s not that I lack knowledge of geography necessarily, but really more about the fact that I have never had an interest in visiting Mexico so never took the time to really define where the most common touristy places are.

They are coming back late next week. She mentions that it is lovely and 80 degrees.  I guess they had a short stop in southern California on the way down and get to enjoy five hours on the ground in Phoenix on the way home. I will share pictures when she returns.

The granddaughter has sprouted her first tooth, and she is just shy of taking off crawling everywhere. Her mom informs me that she has learned how to scoot, as just a few days ago her favorite mode of mobility was to roll where she wanted to go. The ironic thing is that she scoots backwards. This is obviously an homage to her Uncle Jeff who was often found stuck happily in between pieces of furniture or in other nooks and crannies, always pleased with himself and his accomplishments.

These pictures, although not complete, show her mission to roll and explore thus ending up in her parent’s bedroom where we played a short game of peek-a-boo with the door.

And onward:

I am going to make another attempt at paneer sometime soon and I will try to remember to get some pictures if 1) it is successful and 2) there is enough to even frame in a picture. If this attempt doesn’t work then I am going to go with the recommendation of family and blogging friends and just buy it ready-made.

Tomorrow is wedding dress fashion show day! I am really excited to see Meredith in her picks and in her mom’s wedding dress. Of course I will take pictures, but I can’t promise to put them on the blog as the entire event may very well be sworn to secrecy from prying eyes.

The sun is out, I am off to the hospital job soon and it is really just a lovely day. Happy Spring friends

I know this sounds really extreme and odd (and yes, I can actually hear you rolling your eyes from all the way over here), but that’s what I did. I quit sugar. In fact, not only did I quit sugar, I quit all things sweet, including artificial sweeteners and, for the time being, fruit.

You want to know why. Everybody has wanted to know why. Everybody has been so confused (and sometimes actually angry) that I would go and do this. That I would go and quit sugar. And, I admit, six months ago, I probably would have reacted the same way. So just hang on a second while I pull out my soapbox…

I don’t want to be one of those people who goes on and on, preaching about what’s “good” and what’s “bad.” I don’t want to tell you what to do or how to be. Everybody is entitled to their own decision making, their own lifestyle, their own ways of seeing and of being. But. I just can’t go on any longer without sharing with you this sort of amazing, sort of life-changing secret of mine.

It started with a box of peanut butter granola bars, which very quickly became an empty box of peanut butter granola bars. It was a weeknight, it was late, and I was sitting on my bed watching something or other on Netflix. And I was hungry. Well, maybe not hungry, per se. Let’s call it taste-curious. Basically, I wanted something to eat. I pulled the box of granola bars from my cupboard, returned to bed, and ate one. Then I ate another one. Then I finished the box. And, in case you’re wondering, yes, I am very embarrassed to admit this. What’s more embarrassing is that after I depleted my granola bar supply, I quickly moved on to a six pack of ripened bananas, sitting atop my dresser. I ate them all too.

Why did I do this? I wasn’t hungry. But the granola bars, they were so sweet and crunchy, the peanut butter was sticky, but smooth — candy-like. The bananas, just a little bruised, but perfectly ripe, perfectly rich, were like sweet, sweet honey. And I couldn’t get enough.

When I was done, I felt very, very unwell — just as I often had after my frequent gorgings of (my very favorite) York Peppermint Patties, during which I always exhibited remarkable endurance and speed.  Or how I felt whenever I bought a box of cookies and, like a fiend, just could not keep my hands off of them — so much so that, on a number of occasions, I actually had to throw them away to keep myself from eating any more. It was also how I had felt on Christmas Eve, when I devoured three bowls of Kahlua-chocolate-toffee trifle and then spent the rest of the night in bed wide-awake.

I am not overweight. In fact, in the last year or so, thanks to rediscovering my love for running, I have lost some weight.  After the granola bar incident, it is important to note that my concerns were not about weight gain. They were about control, and happiness, and peace of mind. That fated evening, I had no control, I was very unhappy, and I didn’t sleep all night. Something in my body had taken over, and I was just along for the ride. I was sugar-drunk. And, quite clearly, sugar-dependent.

The next morning, I Googled “quitting sugar,” expecting to find some errant, unhelpful results. On the contrary. I stumbled upon Sarah Wilson’s blog. She had written an eight-week quit program and a cookbook, both titled I Quit Sugar. I did more research. So much research. As it turned out, this was something that a lot of people were talking about.

Five things I learned:

1. The average American consumes over 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day, which, for women, happens to be 17 teaspoons more than the daily recommended 5 teaspoons (20 grams).
2. A fruit-flavored serving of yogurt, like the Chobani cups I knew and loved so well, contains around 19 grams of sugar, at least two-thirds of which are added. (Imagine a cup of plain yogurt with 3 teaspoons of sugar mixed in.) I was often eating at least two of these each day.
3. The Paul Newman Cabernet Marinara Sauce that I was so obsessed with? 9 grams total sugar in just 1/2 cup.
4. A cup of Silk vanilla almond milk, not as good for me as I had thought, contains 16 grams of added sugar — the dark chocolate variety 21.
5. Many granola bars weigh in at around 20 grams of added sugar. In a sitting, I had eaten a box containing six bars — and approximately 600% of my daily recommended sugar intake. (And that 600% is not counting the very sweet bananas. Or anything else I had eaten the whole day.)

Why was I eating so much sugar? For humans, sugar addiction (or its binging) is part of our hard-wiring. Back in the good old days of hunting and gathering, when our nutrition relied upon what was available in nature, foods high in sugar were rare. Because these sweet foods were high in calories, and because these calories could later on help one to survive famine, the brain told the body to eat as much of them as was available. The same thing goes for fats. This is part of the reason why we all love cake and we all love french fries. Our gluttony is, in many ways, a survival mechanism.

The problem is that, these days — at least in middle-class America — there is no famine. Only feast. And boy, was I feasting. Our enchantment with sweet foods — once part of a system for human survival — is now, in the context of an only increasingly industrialized Western food culture, a huge, huge issue.

Because nowadays the government actually subsidizes the corn industry — the producers of the inexpensive and now hugely over-abundant high-fructose corn syrup — American processed food is sweeter and cheaper than ever. And not only are we paying for it with our tax dollars, we are paying with our health. According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately 27% of Americans over the age of 65 have diabetes. Type II diabetes, once called “adult-onset diabetes,” can no longer be referred to as such, since it’s affecting children and adolescents more than ever. This crisis, which the National Institute of Health estimated cost Americans $174 billion in the year 2007 alone — an increase of 32% in just five years – is a strictly Western crisis. And it is undoubtedly linked to the refinement, industrialization, and errant, irresponsible sweetening of food.

According to Michael Pollan in his book In Defense Of Food, “One of the most momentous changes in the American diet since 1909 (when the USDA first began keeping track) has been the increase in the percentage of calories coming from sugars, from 13 percent to 20 percent. Add to that the percentage of calories coming from carbohydrates (roughly 40 percent, or ten servings, nine of which are refined) and Americans are consuming a diet that is at least half sugars in one form or another — calories providing virtually nothing but energy” (112). Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are added to almost all processed foods, even things you would not expect — breads, salad dressing, cold cuts, peanut butters. Sugar was even the second-listed ingredient in my beloved put-it-on-everything sauce, sriracha. Good grief!

In order to take control of the mechanism that facilitates this sweet addiction, the great and powerful people of the internet (including Sarah Wilson and her cohort) urged me to give it up completely — cold turkey — at least for a month or two, and then wait and see how my body and mind reacted to the experiment.

I decided to cut added sugar out of my diet completely. I also decided to cut out artificial sweeteners, since they were part of the same binging mechanism (and boy, did I have Stevia, Splenda, and Diet Cokes stashed in just about every drawer of my life). And, for the short haul, I also made the decision to cut out fruit and, for the first couple of weeks, to limit vegetables that were particularly high in fructose (like sweet potatoes). I went totally sweet-free, and I haven’t looked back since.

Five more things I learned:

1. Now that I don’t eat sweets, I don’t crave sweets. At all. I am in control, and I feel awesome. Better — and happier — than I’ve ever felt.
2. I’ve always had trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, and feeling well-rested. Not anymore. I sleep like a champion. And I find that I need even less sleep than I did before. I almost always wake up early, but since I quit sugar, I have regularly been waking up early-early, well-rested and ready to start my day. I feel more productive than I’ve ever felt, and I have a steady stream of energy for the whole day.
3. I feel well again. No more headaches, no more fuzzy-headed sugar hangovers in the morning. Cutting sugar also meant cutting a lot of processed foods, which in turn meant cutting out a lot of harmful preservatives and chemicals. There’s a lot to be said for this kind of detoxification — even if its benefits are (as so many people sneer) only psychological.
4. Removing sugar means adding other things — things that are good for me. This means drinking a lot more water, eating a lot more real, plant-based foods, cooking dinner every night  instead of taking some sad Trader Joe’s chana masala out of a box and popping it into the microwave. Cutting sugar didn’t mean that I had to leave some vast inimitable void — I can fill up that void with things that are good for me, things I can feel good about.
5. This positive change has lead to other positive changes — notably, I have cut out processed foods entirely. The reading that I started when I first made this decision has lead to more reading, more documentary-watching, more talking with friends and with people on the internet. In the past couple of months and from a variety of platforms, I’ve learned so much about the food I was eating and the products I was putting in and on my body — not only about their potentially hazardous effect on my health, wellness, and happiness, but also their political implications and environmental impacts. I have the choice to “opt out” and to make better-informed decisions, and I am making that choice and those decisions. In short, the learning that I’ve done is the kind of learning that has forced me to either defend the way I was living or change it. I’ve chosen the latter. And I hope I can stick with it.

And it’s as simple as that.

Breakfast is a great time to start eating healthfully and this post will take look at breakfast bread items.

Take a look at the difference between a Starbucks bagel and one of their muffins (Click on the blue words to go to the appropriate web page):

Multi-Grain Bagel                                                                 Zucchini Walnut Muffin

(As a reference, one teaspoon of oil contains about 5 grams of fat and one teaspoon of sugar is about 4 grams in weight.)

As you can see, the bagel is higher in protein and fiber and lower in sugar and fat than the muffin. So, if you want to eat healthfully, that is the best choice between the two items. This doesn’t mean you can’t ever choose the muffin, but it is a good idea to be aware of what nutrition you are getting and adjust your diet accordingly the rest of the day.

There are low-fat bakery products available at Starbucks, but they can still contain a fair amount of sugar. (See the Reduced Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake as an example.)

Starbucks (bless their heart) lists on their website “Favorite Foods Under 350 Calories“. This gives an at-a-glance idea of their lower calorie food items.  Unfortunately, you can’t click directly on the individual food item from this list for a more detailed nutritional account, but you can access the information from other places on their website.

Taking a look at Wildflower Bread Company one can see that their Low-Fat Chocolate Muffin is low in fat (3 grams) but does have a lot of sugar (68 grams). The Morning Glory Muffin is high in both fat (37 grams) and sugar (59 grams) and contains 725 calories.  The bagels at Wildflower contain more fat than I would have expected, even some saturated fat. But, if you are looking for a healthy bread choice at that restaurant, they would be a consideration. You could also consider ordering one of their whole grain rolls.

Being aware of what a food contains is key in learning how to plan a healthy diet. A splurge now and then may be fine (depending on your current health status and dietary goals) but a diet that is all splurge and no healthy foods will get you in trouble.

One thing that is awesome about Wildflower’s online nutrition information is they list the 8 common allergens in their food products. Simply click on the “View Allergens” tab at the top of the page. Starbucks also lists the food allergen(s) each food contains. Click on the individual food item to find the allergen information.

Your best bet for healthy breakfast breads is to choose whole grain breads or bagels over store bought muffins. (Leave the butter and cream cheese off the bagel.) Oroweat is one company that lists their product and nutrition information online. Of course you can always check package labels at the grocery store for nutrition information.

Seek out bakeries that make healthy baked goods. Starbucks and Wildflower do offer healthy choices, just check in the store or online for nutrition information. If you really want a less healthy breakfast bread then plan for it and eat really well the rest of the day (or next several days).

You can also make your own healthy breakfast breads. A few examples of healthy baked items on this blog are Whole-Wheat Carrot Raisin Muffins, Gluten Free Carrot Raisin Muffins,  Granola Bars, Honey Whole Wheat Bread, and Maple Oat Bread. Many of these recipes are (or can be) made without the most common food allergens.

Happy, healthy bread eating to you!

Up until recently, I didn’t know that you could make granola bars at home.  I guess I never gave it a second thought,  You go to the supermarket and there are like 9 million choices, seems like there is a granola bar for every taste.  So, I made the decision to see if I could make my own.  Hop on Pinterest or Google, and there are a million recipes.  Since I’m incapable of following recipes, I find one and tweak it until I like it.  I will probably do more posts with other styles and flavors, but this one is the current favorite in our house.

I based this recipe on this one from Lauren’s Latest.

Gather your ingredients:

• 1/4c butter
• 1/4c honey (I will never measure honey, I hate dishes.  I just eyeball it)
• 1/3c brown sugar
• 1/4 c Peanut butter.  (again with the no measuring.  I’m a bad cook for this reason.  We like PB, so I probably use more than 1/4)
• 2c quick cooking oats
• 1c puffed rice cereal (or Rice Krispies)
• add ins.  I like mini chocolate chips, coconut, and slivered almonds.  Hubby likes dried cherries and slivered almonds.  One of the beauties of making things at home is you can add anything you like.

Let’s get cooking!

In a medium bowl, add together the oats, rice cereal, and your add ins (except chocolate, I recommend not adding chocolate until the bars are made and pressing them in.  Heat + chocolate = not a cute bar.)  Set aside

I cut the dried cherries into small pieces, they are expensive!

In a small pot, melt together the butter, honey, brown sugar and peanut butter until bubbly.  Reduce the heat and cook (stir like crazy) for two minutes.

Pour your gooey mixture into the bowl with the oat mixture and quickly mix the ingredients.  I usually start with a spoon and end up using my hands.  Work quickly before it sets up, and don’t burn yourself.

Once mixed, form the bars by spreading the mix out on a cookie sheet covered with a sheet of parchment paper.  Press down the mixture firmly and you will have one big sheet of delicious.  If you want to add chocolate, this is the best time, just sprinkle the chips and press them down.  You will get some melting, I encourage licking your hands.  Let it cool for a few hours.

Once cool, cut into bars.  A pizza wheel cutter is perfect for this job, but any knife will work.

I’m cheap I love to recycle, so I cut the used parchment into rectangles and wrap the bars individually in the parchment.  I then wrap in foil to maintain freshness.  Plus my husband is a mechanic, and takes these to work.  Layers of protection to protect them from shop grime.

Sure, I could go all Pinteresty and wrap them in ribbon and bows, but I keep it real here!

Click Here for a printable copy of the recipe

February 8, 2013

So this was one of those nights where I almost fell asleep without taking a photo. I really like granola bars and bought a bunch this day, so I rolled out of bed and arranged them (while half asleep…..) and took a photo.

…it still has some composition, right?

This is a super simple, healthy recipe. The taste and texture are amazing!!  Make sure you have plenty of honey on hand, it uses a lot!!

4 cups quick cooking oats
 1/3 cup canola oil 
2/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread oats on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Allow oats to cool to room temperature. Combine remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add cooled oats. Spread mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed or oiled, pressing down hard to compact it.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely and cut into bars.

I omitted salt, as I find that I’m always parched after eating store-bought granola bars.   Tasty, crunchy and chewy treats.  Fabulous!  Here is the modified recipe.

Ingredients: (makes about 16 bars)

• 1 cup oats
  
• 1 cup dessicated coconut
• 1 cup chopped blanched almonds
• 1/2 cup sesame seed
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried raisins
• zest of 1 lemon
• 100g butter (I used salted)
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven at 160 degrees
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
3. Place the oats, dessicated coconut and chopped almonds onto the baking tray and bake for 10 – 12 minutes in the oven (watch that the coconut doesn’t burn)
4. Remove the baking tray from the oven and leave to cool for 5 minutes
5. Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a pan and leave to cool for a few minutes
6. In a large bowl, mix the oats, dessicated coconut, chopped almonds, sesame seeds, dried fruits and lemon zest
7. Place the butter, golden syrup, brown sugar, water and vanilla extract into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil
8. Stir the sauce and pour it over the oats mixture
9. Mix well until the sauce coats the oats, seeds and dried fruits
10. Line a baking tray (8″ x 12″) with parchment paper
11. Reduce the heat of the oven to 120 degrees
12. Tip the oats mixture onto the baking tray.  Press using the back of a greased spoon until the oats mixture is well packed into the tray, pushing against all the sides
13. Place the tray in the oven and leave to bake for 15 to 20 minutes
14. Remove the tray from the oven and leave to cool and set for 2 to 3 hours
15. To serve, cut the granola into bars (size of your choice) in the baking tray (I found the granola held their shape better)
16. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week

1. Salads: This is the number one mistake I see out there.  You go out to eat and you order a salad for yourself, thinking of how healthy you are being.  Wrong! The dressing, croutons, and cheese are killing you!  My Dad bought me a Chicken Caesar Salad while I was on Spring Break, since he knows I like to make “healthy decisions.”  However, I took a glance at the nutritional information and noticed that if I ate the entire salad, that would be close to 800 calories!  Holy crap!  I could have 2.5 McDonald’s cheeseburgers for that!  I scraped the croutons off of that sucker and dipped my fork in the dressing before I took a bite (I did NOT pour the dressing all over my salad).  I ended upon only using 1/6 of the dressing and consuming only 270 calories (I even kept the cheese on there, score!).
2. Drinks: Drinks are LOADED with extra calories, not to mention the sugar and other crap that is not helping your body out at all.  A medium sweet tea from Sonic or McDonald’s is 180 calories alone, and a 12 ounce coke is 140 calories.  Simply drinking a few of these throughout the day can add enough calories to equal an entire meal, without satiating your hunger at all.  Notice I am only talking about how fattening these items are; I’m not even talking about how harmful they are to your health!

Even diet soda is doing you no favors, since it has been correlated through research to increase your risk for metabolic syndrome.  Metabolic syndrome includes abdominal obesity, elevated blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol, and high fasting glucose and triglycerides.  In other words, you’re still likely to gain belly fat and be unhealthy.  Another study found that individuals who drink diet soda daily were 67 percent more likely to develop type II diabetes.  Research has found no significant connections between diet sodas and weight loss; in fact, there are many more solid correlations between diet soda and obesity.

3. Granola/Protein/Power bars:  Biggest. Jokes. Ever.  You might as well be eating a candy bar.  Many of them are loaded with sugar, unhealthy carbs, and white flour.  For example, the Special K Chocolatey Chip Meal Bar has trans fats (even though the label says it doesn’t- don’t get me started on FDA Requirements for labels!), 4 teaspoons of sugar, refined flours, and butylated hydroxytoluene, which research says might be a carcinogen (cancer-causing). Not only are these bars not helpful to your help, they also don’t usually satiate your hunger for long!

4.“Multi-grain:” Okay, so many people read “multi-grain” and think that sounds healthier.  I mean, they’re grains, right?  However, these could be any kind of grains, and rarely, if ever, are whole grains.  Whole grains are sooo important.  The Mayo Clinic states that half of your grain intake should be whole grains because they lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.  They are also rich in fiber, which helps you feel full longer. Refined grains (“white” bread) are no longer complex carbohydrates, so our bodies digest them as sugar.  If you’re making an effort to be healthy (WHICH YOU SHOULD BE!!!), you do not want to make the mistake of thinking you’re helping yourself by purchasing “multi-grains.”  These are advertiser’s ways of pick-pocketing you.  Stick with whole grains to deprive advertisers of your hard-earned cash.  A good rule of thumb is that one serving of whole grains should have at least two grams of fiber.

Now, clearly I have only touched on a very few of these “diet-busters.”  There are literally millions out there to confuse you.  You’re going to make mistakes, and you’re going to learn as you go.  Read your labels, look up ingredients on CREDIBLE online sources, and ask a professional if you need to.

Personally, I like to cheat a little bit.  If you have a smartphone, I highly recommend the “Fooducate” app.  This new-fangled thing allows you to scan a food’s bar code with your phone, and it tells you if it is harmful and why.  I love it!

Now, obviously you shouldn’t deprive yourself all of the time. If you really love sweet tea, soda, granola bars, white bread, ranch dressing, etc., make them a treat and not a habit.  Honestly, if I’m going to consume 800 calories when I’m going out to eat, I’d rather have a great burger than a skimpy salad drenched in Ranch.

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/nutritionfacts.pdf

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/nutrition-facts-calories/sweet-tea

http://www.fooducate.com/app#page=product&id=8569183C-E109-11DF-A102-FEFD45A4D471

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/whole-grains/NU00204

http://oksanashealthkinesiology.co.uk/multimedia-archive/10-reasons-why-white-bread-is-bad-for-you/

http://authoritynutrition.com/why-is-diet-soda-bad-for-you/

photo credits: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/dave77459/864932630/”>Dave77459</a&#62; via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&#62; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/”>cc</a&#62;

href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/toby_d1/2902863846/”>Pete Zarria</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a&#62; <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>cc</a

But the whole month is a celebration for eating right because March is  National Nutrition Month!!!

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics serves up heaping helpings of advice on food, nutrition and cuisine. This year’s theme is Eat Your Way, Every Day!

Snacking between meals, whether it’s mid-morning or mid-afternoon is a way of life in the USA. As dietitians we like to say, “Make your snack count!” Choose healthy snacks that serve up good taste and good nutrition.A personalized approach to nutrition advice is the most successful plan. Take snacking, for instance.

A lot of families are ramping up their snack attack because Spring sports are starting!

If your kids need to snack after school on their way to sports practice or after practice to tide them over  until dinner – then you might need a bit of coaching to help choose the healthiest snacks.

I’m thrilled to be working with Sunbelt Bakery to get the good word out on healthy snacking for families. The best news is that the right snack can not only be good for you – it tastes good and is ready to be on the go with your busy schedule.

The granola bars in the photo below are one of my faves- chocolate chip! At only 140 calories each, they’re just the right portion size too. Their whole grain goodness comes from whole grain oats. Pair with a cup of low fat or fat free milk and you’ll add 8 grams of high quality protein to your snack break, too.

 

 

Meanwhile, back at Spring training…….kids are on the move and need fuel and fluids to keep them going.  Water is great of course but  fruits and vegetables provide good hydration, too.

 

 

Tasty Trio for Snacks: protein, garden foods and whole grains

 

 

Think of snacks as mini-meals with what I call a “Tasty Snack Trio” including:

 

Protein foods (cheese, milk, yogurt, hard boiled egg, hummus, slice of turkey or ham)

Whole Grain foods (whole wheat crackers, granola cereal on yogurt, granola bars )

Garden foods ( fruits, vegetables) TIP: always cut up fruit so it’s easier to eat. Apple slices will disappear while the whole apple may go uneaten. I love those pre-cut carrot chips in the supermarket produce section too!

Pre-cut carrots chips are great on the go snacks for all ages.

So how much is enough for a snack? Well, it depends on the age of the child and how active they are. Generally, I like to recommend about 150 calories for snack occasion. That places granola bars right in the sweet spot! Add a handful of grapes or easy-to-peel clementine orange ( which are in season right now! ) and you’re good to go.  Game on!

Healthy snacks help kids win by fueling their bodies with good nutrition and energy they need.

Portable Nutrition 

 Meals on the Move is the name of the game for smart snacking for game or practice for the Meal Makeover Moms- registered dietitians Liz Weiss and Janice Bissex. 

Sporty Ideas from Janice and Liz: Don’t Leave Nutrition on the Sidelines!

-       Get kids hydrated before they head out the door by whipping up a naturally delicious fruit smoothie. Blend together 100% fruit juice, fresh and/or frozen fruit, and low-fat yogurt. For added protein, opt for Greek yogurt.

 

-       On-the-go snacks can include:

 

     Homemade trail mix with granola cereal, nuts, whole grain pretzels, dried fruit, and  maybe a few dark chocolate chips tossed in!l

   

      Low-fat cheese sticks, squeeze yogurts (go for Greek squeeze yogurts for more protein), mini fruit cups packed in juice or applesauce, hummus with pretzels or baby carrots for dipping, popcorn (it’s a whole grain!)

 

-       Pack along a homemade “sport” drink by combining your child’s favorite fruit juice with water and a few ice cubes.

 

Note on sports drinks: Make sure to read the nutrition facts label. They can contain just as many calories as a soft drink. They are not for guzzling. One cup ( 8 ounces ) is enough to replace electrolytes in young athletes who are practicing or competing rigorously. Still thirsty? Drink some more water.  Carolyn O’Neil 

 

 

The Home Team 

Make ahead to make it easy on busy nights.

-       Omelet made with sauteed veggies and low-fat cheese. Eggs are rich in protein and cook up in minutes.

-       Slow cooker: Load the slow cooker in the morning and dinner is ready when you get home!

-       Keep a well stocked pantry to make quick-assembly meals possible. One of our favorite fast meals – Drain and rinse a can of black beans, thaw some frozen corn kernels, chop up some leftover roasted chicken, and you’ve got the makings of a quesadilla. Top a flour tortilla with beans, corn, leftover chicken, shredded low-fat cheese, and BBQ sauce, fold in half, heat some canola oil in a skillet, and sautee  about three minutes per side.

 Liz Weiss, MS, RD and Janice Bissex, MS, RD are the dietitian duo behind the popular website,MealMakeoverMoms.com and authors of, No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms (M3 Press, 2011)

 

Go Team!

 

It was definitely a tough go getting up this morning though. Evenings when I have night classes always kick my butt. Which of course makes getting up early the next day difficult. But, how can you not be happy when you wake up to such a gorgeous day?? The sun was shining and I knew I had a day filled with baking in the bakery to look forward to. I got ready for the day, sat to meditate and massaged some more Rose oil into the bottoms of my feet. I was indeed ready for anything.

I wasn’t so hungy this morning, or at least not paying much attention to food. A cup of peppermint tea and a chewy nut bar with some peanut butter gave me enough to get me into the bakery.

It was an English Muffin, Irish Soda Bread, Cinnamon Bread kind of day! The bakery smells completely of BREAD! Check out these beauties!

How much cinnamon swirl in the Cinnamon Bread? Some like a lot, some not so much. All tastes are different!

The most exciting part of the day…was that I had enough time to experiment. Personally I don’t like tortillas (gluten-free anyway). I just don’t like the texture. They seem dry, even when I make them. I prefer a flat bread in the India style, one that is soft and pliable, that I can fold, like with a gyro. Today I attempted it. I was very happy with the results! A little doughy, but right on track! One more go at it and they were perfect! I rolled out little pieces and fried them up in my cast iron skillet. I used coconut oil in the skillet for an added hint of flavor.

When they came out of the pan, instead of brushing them with melted butter, I brushed them with…my new Moutain Town Olive Oil, the Tuscan Herb flavor! It was PERFECT! I did try a little piece, and it was quite difficult to restrain myself from eating another. My tummy was good at reminding that it was not something I wanted to do today. The remaining pieces got wrapped nicely for the students in my class tonight. So, next to the Irish Soda Bread and tortillas that are on the menu for tonight, they will also get the treat of making Indian flat bread. Horray for cooking classes!

And speaking of baking classes, I need to get my behind out of here!
Fabulous day to you all! Remember, do you what you Love and Love what you do! After all, what else is there?
Much Love and Happy Eating!

Trish

•  INGREDIENT LIST: ORGANIC DATES, ORGANIC GLUTEN-FREE OATS, ORGANIC COCONUT, ORGANIC ALMONDS, ORGANIC BLUE AGAVE NECTAR, ORGANIC FAIR TRADE COCOA LIQUOR, SEA SALT 

A bar such as this is designed for those who are all about a healthy lifestyle and very active, so if you if you have been inactive for a long period of time and your goal is classic weight-loss, first focus on getting your basic physical activity and meal formats dialed in then add something like this bar.

If you do use this bar as a means of dialing in your meal format, use this bar in the mornings or between breakfast and lunch when your metabolism is high, so that your body can break down and utilize the nutrients effectively!

Ever since I tried these bars, they have been part of every adventure, hike, snowboard session, trail run, bmx session or mountain bike trip. I am confident they would be great for your endeavors as well. Look them up! http://skoutnatural.com/

By: Jessica Mayo

I have been on a major health kick lately. Eating healthy makes me feel better physically, increases my energy level and gives me a more positive mental outlook. The problem is that aside from eating fresh fruits and vegetables, I never really know if the “health food” I am eating is truly healthy. Granola bars are an easy “health food” to eat on the go, but there are always unwanted extra ingredients like sugar, chocolate, peanut butter and oils. The only way to make sure your “health food” is truly healthy is to make it yourself so you can control the ingredients inside. Even as I was looking through homemade granola bar recipes it was difficult to find one that didn’t include a lot of sugary or oily ingredients. Then I realized, most of the main healthy ingredients are the same, it’s just the sugary ingredients that change and are thrown in for added sweetness.

One afternoon I decided to add the main ingredients of a granola bar together like oats, unsalted nuts, sliced almonds, unsalted pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, raisins and dried apples. Then instead of adding the sugary, fatty ingredients, I simply added a small amount of sweetened condensed low-fat milk.

The result? Perfection on-the-go! Feel free to play around with the healthy ingredients of this recipe. Different types of dried fruit can be used to add different flavors. If you make a big enough batch you can snack on this treat for the rest of the week.

2 cups quick-cooking oats

½ cup dried apples

¼ cup raisins

½ cup dried cranberries

1 cup old-fashioned oats

½ cup hulled unsalted pumpkin seeds

½ cup slivered almonds

1 (14 oz) can of sweetened low-fat condensed milk

1/2 cup granola

Directions

1.      Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a 13×9-inch pan with lightly-greased parchment paper; an inch or so of parchment paper should stick up on two sides to form lifting handles.

 2.      Mix the quick-cooking oats, old-fashioned oats, granola, almonds, unsalted pumpkin seeds, mixed nuts, cranberries, raisins, dried apples and sweetened condensed milk together in a bowl; spread into the prepared pan, evenly pressing into the corners and out to the sides.

 3.      Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes, using slightly less time for chewier bars and slightly more time for crunchier bars.

 4.      Allow the bars to cool for five minutes in the pan before using the parchment paper to lift them from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into the bars. Then, let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This post was written as if it could appear on Lootie and Doof  - http://www.lottieanddoof.com/

I came across this recipe for chocolate granola bars by the Marathon Mom. They’ve been on my pinterest wall for quite awhile, so I decided it was finally time to give them a shot. I ended up tweaking the original recipe slightly given that I didn’t have all the called-for ingredients in my kitchen. Bonus: they don’t require any baking! full recipe below

First, melt a half stick of butter in a saucepan over medium heat:

Add peanut butter and honey, and heat, stirring frequently, until melted:

Add oats, flax, and shredded coconut:

And the best part….add the chocolate:

Stir to combine:

Scrape into an 8×8 greased pan and let cool in the refrigerator until set. Once cool, divide into 8 bars. Store in the fridge.

This recipe was incredibly quick, easy, and delicious. The peanut butter and oats make the bars pretty dense, so they are a super satisfying afternoon snack as well as a chocolate fix!

Chocolate Granola Bars
makes 8 bars
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used super chunky)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 cup oats
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Method
Melt butter, peanut butter, and honey in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently.
Once melted, add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Scrape into 8x8 greased dish and set in fridge to cool.
Once set, divide into 8 bars. Keep in the refrigerator.

I know I’ve told you this before, but one of my favorite things to make is snacks. I mean seriously, every one gets the munchies, so there’s nothing better than having a healthy, or at least partly wholesome, homemade snack in the house. I have made several granola bars in the past, but I just cannot get enough of them. It was time to introduce another granola bar recipe to the world.

I love the combination of cocoa and cherries in this recipe, however you could substitute any fruit in for the cherries, and you could do without the cocoa if you’re not a chocolate fan. (However if you’re not a chocolate fan, who are you?!) This recipe is permission to have fun in the kitchen. So go crazy! Eat the batter raw (you can do that when it’s Vegan!!), and feel free to munch.

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cup quick rolled oats + 1/3 cup
• ½ cup – ¾ cup sugar (based on your preferred sweetness!)
• 1 cup coconut flakes
• ¼ cup ground flax seeds
• 1 cup dried cherries
• ½ cup sunflower seeds (unsalted)
• ¼ cup cocoa
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons agave
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 Tablespoons vegan butter, melted
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon peanut butter

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F and lightly coat eight-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray (not the butter kind if going vegan!).
2. In a food processor, blend 1/3 cup of the quick rolled oats until finely ground (making oat flour).
3. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 1 2/3 cups oats, the oat flour, sugar, coconut flakes, flax seeds, cherries, sunflower seeds, cocoa, salt, and cinnamon. Mix well.
4. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the melted butter, vanilla, and water. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
5. Add the peanut butter to the mix and thoroughly blend together.
6. Press the ingredients into the prepared pan, firmly and evenly.
7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are brown. If the pan seems undercooked or soft in the center, the bars will firm up while cooling!
8. Allow for the bars to cool in the pan until room temperature. Once cool, use a serrated knife and cut the bars into squares.

Notes and Tips!:

• Gluten free? Use gluten free oats!
• If the bars appear crumbly while cutting them, allow them to chill in the refrigerator for an additional half hour.
• Store these bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (If crumbly, try individually wrapping each bar with plastic wrap).
• Adapted and inspired from: Smitten Kitchen
• Like this recipe? Check out these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars, Homemade Clif Bars, Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Cups, and my Vegan Strawberry Oat Bars!

I’ve been spending the past few weeks unprocessing my life. I think we all can relate to getting caught up in the motions and feeling overwhelmed. Well blame spring fever but it’s time to clean up more than the closet.

It started in the kitchen, challenging myself to get rid of many processed foods. I replaced store bought granola bars with homemade healthier versions and have been whipping up many new recipes from pancakes to lasagna. This is probably my favorite challenge and one that turned out to be easier than I thought.

And now I’m working with Oprah on her 21-Day Meditation Challenge: Perfect Health.

If I only had one gift to offer you, it would be STILLNESS…. What I know for sure: Being STILL at least once a day will enhance your life.

Deepak and I are teaming up for a new 21-Day Meditation Challenge: Perfect Health. We’ll be your personal guides. Do you want to be more focused? Energized? Successful? Calm? Powerful? Practice STILLNESS. From that space, your best work — your perfect health — and your best life arises.

This couldn’t have come at a better time. Yesterday kicked off with making the commitment.

Embarking on a journey to perfect health involves forming new pathways to the brain. Examine what you currently believe and create fresh perceptions to live a more vibrant life.

I commit to living perfect health! OK, might not be perfect, but you have to make goals!

Anyone want to join in?

Websaver.ca has a new hidden portal where you can order your coupon for $1 off any DOLE^® LIVE RIGHT^TM Mini Crunch or Bites, 100 g – 170 g .

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I wonder if I made myself sound like a sugar junkie in that post? I described how I typically use honey or agave nectar but wanted to give the brown rice syrup a go.

I love baked goods and sweets, but those baked goods and sweets are typically not ones that I create. Put something that resembles dessert in front of me and a spoon pretty much grows directly from my hand. The effort behind creating sweet treats at home is what actually keeps me from making them. I love to cook, but I want to cook quickly. Maybe this fact is one reason I so enjoy cooking as a vegetarian. Most of the dishes I create are not only healthy and tasty, but usually quickly put together. I’m big on few ingredients and fast prep, and I think that might be a hold over from the time when I worked all day and then had to come home and rustle up a dinner.

Because I now have more time, I am not planning on taking up gourmet vegetarian/vegan baking or anything. I don’t need those “healthier” (!) items anymore than I need the store prepared ones. I use honey in my tea, which is fine and which I probably will continue to do. I use the agave in my oatmeal for a little sweetness. That’s it.

I have however had this growing desire to attempt to make my own granola bars. I actually think that I saw that vegetarian chef * make some the other day on her television series. That chef* by the way is Christina Pirello, who cooks on the CreateTV channel in our area. The link highlighted is to her older cooking show. She recently started a new series that for some might be a bit more preachy when it comes to the health lectures behind vegan cooking.

I appreciate her information but I watch for her ideas and techniques. I do have to give her props for a discussion she recently had about corn and soy. If you buy non-organic corn or soy products they most assuredly are GMO. One modification to these plants is to be insect resistant. Some creepy-crawly eats at a juicy GM corn plant and BOOM!!!!! their digestive tracts explode.

Okay, so I have eaten non-organic my entire life up until a few years ago. I still do not in any way eat completely organic. I have not exploded yet, nor do I plan to anytime soon. I do however appreciate knowing that the possibility exists as our food supply is constantly being made better to feed more of our hungry, starving, over-populated world.

*I have a tangent here regarding underdeveloped areas of the world, women, education, oppression and birth control options but that is for another time and blog post.

Alright, I have re-focused. I think it would be fun to make some granola bars. Christina had a pretty straightforward recipe and as I like to have some granola related items around the house for snacking or for breakfast I think it might be an adventure to take an afternoon and make some of my own. Thus, the brown rice syrup. So now I need to find Christina’s recipe or something comparable.

This is the brand of syrup I purchased:

Rather than putting all the info about this product into an already lengthy post, here is the link where you can check out some specifics for yourself. I did a taste test and it’s pretty darn tasty and definitely sweet. I would describe it as a combo  between honey and maple syrup with a hint of deeper molasses tones. I think it will fit nicely as a sweetener for some homemade granola bars.

And click HERE to try out the HEALTHIER SMOOTHIES!  A few months ago I shared this healthy granola bar recipe.  I’ve been eating too many ZONE bars and I’m SURE this version is better.  I’ll be making this today!

HEALTHIFIED GRANOLA BARS

1 cup dates (pitted)

1 1/4 cups crisp rice cereal

1 cup oats

1/4 cup sliced almonds

2 T ground flaxseed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter

1/3 cup agave syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

Spray an 8×8 pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

Place the dates in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Combine the 

pureed dates with the cereal, oats, almonds, flaxseed, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Combine the peanut butter and agave in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until melted

and completely blended.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.

Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir until well combined.  Let cool for 15 minutes.

Stir in the chocolate chips.  Turn the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly to pack the mixture into the pan.

Let the mixture sit until completely cool and set, at least 1 hour.  Cut into bars, then wrap individually in 

plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Make it a Great Weekend*