Wishing For My Turn: Granola bar & mini breakfast treats....

I have been concerned lately that hubby & Po boi are not eating properly during their work week. They come home saying they've skipped meals, and such. So I saw these recipes on Pinterest, and decided to give them a try.

This is the granola bar recipe. It was from Redbook magazine. This will be a favorite to make in the future. I usually have all the ingredients in my cupboard. I did not calculate the cost, but I'm sure I saved a pretty penny or nickel with prices of late. lol The next batch, I will add a tsp or so of dry fiber mix, melt choc chips on top, copycat to a fiber bar.

The recipe calls for 1 cup oats. I adjusted it a bit adding a 1/2 c more. Plus I added dates, as well as cranberries. I mixed the dry ingredients by hand, cuz I did not want to clean my food processor. My RA decides how much prepping, making, cleaning I will do..lol I would recommend the food processor, if you want a finer blend, but hey worked out ok. The guys gave the thumbs up. I accomplished what I set out, makes me a happy girl.

GRANOLA BARS

all dry ingredients

crumbled together dry ingredients

finished product

1 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1 cup spoon-size shredded wheat cereal
1 cup walnuts
1 1/2 cups dried fruit
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350° F. Lightly oil or coat an 8x8-inch baking pan or dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. Place oats, shredded wheat, walnuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture is finely chopped (fruit should be the size of a dried pea or lentil). Whisk together eggs, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl until well-blended. Add oat mixture and chocolate chips; stir to combine. Spread mixture evenly in prepared pan; flatten gently with the back of a spoon or rubber spatula. Bake, about 18 minutes, or until the edges turn golden-brown. Let cool completely in pan before slicing into twelve 12 2x2 1/2-inch bars. If you have leftovers, wrap individual portions in plastic baggies or aluminum foil and freeze.

Makes 12 servings.

BERRY OATMEAL BAKE

This recipe I alter a bit too. The original recipe calls for 2 cups of liquid. I was making them in the cupcake pan. (its all about portion control) I decided to only add the 12 oz of coconut milk. I wanted more of a cake like product, making it easier to freeze individually. I also did not use 1 cup fruit. I chopped a couple of strawberries, used handful of blueberries, and placed 1 banana slice in each serving. I left the fruit on top, thought they would blend in while baking, but since they did not, I would recommend you poke them further into the mix prior to baking. They still got the thumbs up from the menfolk. So I know I will make this again. I included a pic of the bloggers original product, so you can see the differences. Make sure you mix all dry ingredients together. Then add wet. My bake time was 15-18 minutes. I wanted a lil doughy, knowing the guys would zap them in the microwave. The edges are a light brown.