Back-to-School Granola Bites

These make a great after-school snack. I also like to put them in my kids' lunch instead of a treat! They are the perfect size to satisfy a sweet tooth without making you feel guilty! :)

1/4 cup natural nut butter (peanut, almond, etc)
1/4 cup honey
2 tbs butter
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup puffed grain cereal (I like Kashi 7 whole grain Puffs and I can get them wholesale by the case of 12 if anyone wants some)
1/4-1/3 cup dried fruit or chocolate chips (Of course I prefer them with chocolate but my kids will happily eat them with raisins!)
1. In a medium saucepan combine nut butter, honey and butter. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until completely smooth.
2. Remove pan from heat and stir in oats and cereal. Add dried fruit or gently fold in chocolate chips (they well get all melty and you'll have chocolate swirling through your bites but they still taste yummy!).
3. Press into greased mini muffin pan or gently shape into balls on greased cookie sheet. Place in fridge until set.
4. Remove from pan or cookie sheet and place in air-tight container. Store in fridge.

Healthy snacks...

When I am nursing I tend to be extra-hungry so I've been trying to get creative with my snacks so that I don't put even more extra weight on my already too-heavy body! Here are a few options:

Toast half of a whole-grain english muffin (if you can find "sprouted" whole-grain english muffins they're even better for you!) spread with 1-2 tsp part-skim ricotta. Drizzle with 1 tsp honey and top with fresh fruit of choice (I love it with berries or peaches).

Spread 1tsp natural peanut butter (or other nut butter) on a rice cake (look for brown rice cakes, popped corn cakes, or even soy cakes)

Smoothies with spinach, chia seed gel, carrots and frozen fruit (if you're curious about the seeds, call me and I'll give you the healthy scoop! They're sooo good for you!)

Low-fat yogurt with granola and fresh berries

A small handful of nuts and a small handful of dried fruit (preferably dried without sugar all over it!)

A few pita chips (you can make your own) with some guacamame

Apple slices with nut butter (I love almond butter with apples)

Shredded carrot stirred into some soft nuefchatel cheese (same as 1/3-less-fat cream cheese) and spread on a whole-grain cracker or bread

*Now if everyone would stop bringing me yummy treats, I might make some progress! :)

p.s. what do you like to snack on?

snacks?

We're kind of in a rut at our house when it comes to snacks...what do you like to have or give your kids for a snack? A couple of our favorites are fruit and cheese or a slice of homemade wheat bread with 1/3 less fat cream cheese (Neufchatel) spread on it. What are your favorites?

Homemade Granola Bars

I have made these a couple of times and we really like them. I love that I know what is in them, and they taste good! Copy and pasted from Martha Stewarts:

Makes 16
Ingredients:
1 large egg white
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed rectangles of parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang at 2 opposite ends. In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds and cranberries.
In a small saucepan, whisk together oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, cinnamon, salt and 1 tablespoon water over low heat until sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly; whisk in egg white. Pour over at mixture; stir until moistened. Spread evenly in bottom of pan; smooth top.
Bake until top is firm, about 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Lift out of pan, using paper as handles. Let cool completely, cut into bars with serrated knife.


I used raisins because I didn't have craisins, and I saw that someone just used chocolate chips too. I typically don't love peanut butter, but loved these!

good-for-you granola

I just made this the other day and it's almost gone already. I think it's really good and my kids and husband will eat it too! (don't let all the nuts scare you, they don't taste too strong).


Ingredients
Cooking Spray
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped raw, unsalted walnuts
1/2 cup chopped unsalted almonds
1/2 cup chopped unsalted pecans
1/2 cup maple syrup (make sure it's 100% natural)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins, optional (I used golden and it was so yummy)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl combine the oats, nuts, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon and the raisins, if using. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. Transfer the sheet to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Makes 9 (1/2 cup) servings.
*It makes a great snack, I even sent a bag of it with Roland to work. It's also great with yogurt or, my favorite is to just eat it like cereal with milk and a few fresh berries (when they're in season and not expensive). My kids will eat it as a snack too. I just put some in a little bowl and they eat it dry.