MORNINGS…

I am a bear, a grump, a grouch in the morning…every morning!   It’s not intentional.  I know that every day is a blessing and I should rise from bed each glorious day singing praises to the Lord, but it just takes me a while to put on a happy face.  The Proverbs 31 woman “gets up while it is still dark.” (vs 15), but I just can’t!

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One time, about a year ago we had a conversation that went like this:

Preston: “Mama, you’re grumpy this morning.  It’s because you stayed up too late, isn’t it?  You stayed up too late because you’re nocturnal.”

After a few moments of deep thought Lilly Katherine said, “Mama, why are you a turtle?”

Oh, my confused little woman!  She’s so funny!

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Anyway…MORNINGS…I don’t like them!  My sweet hubby has learned not to talk to me in the morning.

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My kids HAVE NOT.

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Usually Brad gets the maniacs their milk and breakfast while I try to pretend it’s still nighttime.  However, it often stresses Preston out if I’m still asleep at 7:20 and his lunch isn’t made yet.

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All that’s to say that I try to simplify mornings as much as possible.  My kids often eat sugary, (bad) carb loaded cereal.  They love “cim-a-non crunch” (cinnamon toast crunch) but i really would like their little bodies to get a healthier start.  Granola bars are their favorite, but they’re expensive and they seem to be packed with more sugar than cereal.  Soooo, I’ve been making my own granola bars, thanks to the inspiration from a sweet friend of mine, Jana, and her wonderful healthy blog.

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These granola bars are so yummy and good for you, and they are so easy.  Our whole family loves them, and you can change them to meet the desires of your fam.

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Goin’ Granola…Granola Bars

The full recipe is at the bottom.  Here’s what you need:

Use 2 cups of whatever dried fruit/nuts you want to use.  In these granola bars, I used craisins, raisins, golden raisins, apricots, dates, and cherries (because that’s what I had in my pantry.)

Cut the larger dried fruit or nuts into small pieces.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Then add the fruit and nuts of your choice.  (Look at those sweet little hands in the background trying to “help” hold the bowl.)

Now look at that sweet little face saying, “Uh oh, Mama!”

I’ve learned that you must have patience when cooking with 3 children.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.  AnnaLeigh was trying to stir the dry ingredients, and they got away from her.  We all laughed!  I don’t always laugh, but we really did have a good time making these granola bars.

Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients.  Add your remaining ingredients to the well.  (Little trick…measure and add your oil first.  Then measure your honey in the same measuring cup.  The oil makes the honey slide right out of the cup.)

Stir to combine.  Unless you have a magical stirring power that I don’t have, you will have to use your hands and sort-of knead it until it looks like this.

Put it in a greased pan or cookie sheet and press to the desired thickness.  I like my granola bars to be thin and even, so I use wax paper to mash it down and spread it evenly.

Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until the edges start to brown.  If you like crispier granola bars, bake them longer.  I like them soft like a cookie!

Let them cool for about 5 minutes, but cut them while they are still warm.  These were pretty large – perfect for Preston, but too large for the girls.

After they have cooled completely, store them in an air tight container or wrap them individually.

I wrapped a few in wax paper, because we took a them to my sweet nieces and nephew.  I usually just throw them in a zip-lock because I’m lazy!

These really are wonderful, and I think they’re even better the second day.  They keep well, but they don’t last long around here.

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Goin’ Granola – Granola Bars

• 3 Cups Oatmeal
• 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/4 Cup Flax Seed Meal
• 1/2 Cup Wheat Germ
• 1 tsp Salt (I make it slightly heaping)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon (cim-a-non)
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Cups Dried Fruit and/or Nuts (I just use fruit – LK is allergic to many nuts)
• 1 Egg
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1/2 Cup Honey
• 1 Banana (Mashed)
• Ginger, Nutmeg, Ground Cloves (If you have these ingredients on hand, sprinkle a little into the dry ingredients to add a little more flavor.)
• 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter (see note below)
  
• 2 Tbsp Applesauce (see note below)
  

UPDATE: I have made these granola bars several times, and I have realized that they need a little more moisture.  Lately, I have added about 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter and about 2 Tbsp Applesauce to the wet ingredients.  My advice is just add 1/4-1/3 cup of additional moisture in your wet ingredients…either applesauce, peanut butter, or another banana.  If you prefer harder, more crisp granola bars, do not add these additional ingredients. (How’s that for confusing?!?)

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9X13 baking pan or a cookie sheet.  I prefer to use a cookie sheet, because I like my granola bars to be thinner.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (Oatmeal, WW Flour, Flax, Wheat Germ, Salt, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar).  Chop large dried fruit, such as apricots, dates, prunes, etc into small pieces.  Add all dried fruit and nuts to dry ingredients.  Combine.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.  Add Egg, Vanilla, Oil, Honey, and Mashed Banana.  Mix all ingredients well, using your hands.

Pat mixture into greased baking pan or cookie sheet.  I use wax paper to get it smooth and even.  I typically don’t spread it all the way to the sides of the cookie sheet.  Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until edges start to brown.  If you prefer crispy bars, bake longer.  You may have to use a spatula to pat the center down as it bakes.

Cool for about 5 minutes, then cut the bars while they are still warm.  If they cool completely they will be hard to cut.  After they are cool, store in an air tight container or wrap individually.

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