To Commemorate the Return

Remember my last post? Okay, now forget about it! The long story short is that Zack and Garrett have strongly encouraged me to get back into the swing of sharing my dirty laundry online. And heck, if two of the men in your life ask something of you, you're pretty much obliged, right?

So welcome back, me! Here's to a brand new start on a not so new foray into the blogging world. And to commemorate my return I thought I'd share with you one of my go-to recipes.

As a mom, I love knowing I'm meeting the nutritional needs of my children in the most healthful ways. And not just the kids' needs but Zack's and mine as well. These granola bars fit the bill. If you peruse the ingredient list on a box of granola bars at the store you'll most often find that the list is a mile long and contains one or more not-so-great ingredients. The bars above? Heavenly! And the goods that go into them? Guilt-free!

Whip these up, alter them to your taste, and let your indebtedness to me begin! Oh and just so you know, I change these up each and every time I make them. In the parenthesis below you'll find the alterations I made this go 'round (and here's a shout-out to my mom for the original recipe given to me years and years ago)!

HIGH OCTANE ENERGY BARS

1 C. rolled oats
1 C. crunchy grain cereal, crushed (I used Cheerios)
1/2 C. slivered almonds (I used whole almonds, chopped by me)
1 1/2 C. dried apricots, chopped (I used dried cranberries)
1 C. raisins
1/2 C wheat germ (I used wheat bran)
1/2 C. protein powder (I used vanilla flavored)
1 t. butter or vegetable oil (I always use the oil)
3/4 C. maple syrup or brown rice syrup (I use 10 T. when I use vanilla protein
powder)
1/2 C. natural peanut butter
1 t. ground cinnamon

Toast first 3 ingredients in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, stirring halfway through (don't let the mixture brown).
Place ingredients from the oven in a large mixing bowl. Add the next 4 ingredients, separating the dried fruit pieces; mix thoroughly.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt butter/oil and syrup, stirring until bubbly. Mix in the peanut butter and cinnamon till all are combined, mixing constantly.
Pour over dry ingredients, quickly mix together, and press into a lightly greased 9x13" pan. Pat mixture into the pan using waxed paper.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Cut into bars - whatever size makes your skirt fly up - and wrap each in wax paper or a snack size Ziploc bag.
Store refrigerated.

The best thing about these? People, they're no-bake!! Dig in and enjoy!!!