Thursday, February 14, 2013

snack attack

Like many families with little ones the hours between meals are not food free. I have no idea how we are going to afford them when they are teenagers, because my toddlers are already eating us out of house and home. Between our frequent trips to Costco - because we buy in bulk now - I decided I would try my hand at some homemade, and hopefully more healthy snacks. Here is my first experiment - no bake granola bars.

And while these may not provide tons of nutrition, I know there are no hard to pronounce weird processed ingredients. In fact, the these are so versatile that you can make them even more healthy if you want.

To make your own you need:














1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup crispy rice cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
chocolate chips & dried cranberries
(adapted from Rachel Ray)

In a big bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together. Set that aside. In a small saucepan melt the butter, honey, and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes. Add in peanut butter til well combined. Pour in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients. Add in dried cranberries and mix well. Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan and press out to desired thickness. You may need to pack the mixture into one side.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool in fridge for at least an hour before cutting into bars.

Serve them when a snack attack hits - which in my house is often. The great thing about these bars is you can make so many versions and keep the kids happy. You could stir in almonds, top with yogurt melts, or try dried blueberries or apricots. Really the sky is the limit. And since they are super easy to make, you can try a new recipe each week. What ideas do you have?

These bars are so easy I think you could even have your little ones help you make them. Not that mine need any help working up an appetite. Happy snacking everyone!

2 comments:

  1. Looks great! I'm sure cheaper and much less preservatives than just buying a case. I'll have to give these a try...

    ReplyDelete
  2. yes! much cheaper! I had a lot of the ingredients on hand and got generic for others (like rice cereal and oats).

    ReplyDelete

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