Vacation and Granola Bars

Well hello everyone. Long time no blogging! I had good intentions of doing some cooking with my sister while I was home to Spokane but that didn't happen. I also had good intentions of blogging about that cooking while I was there in her beautiful and gigantic kitchen that should belong to me and not her (just checking to see if she is reading) but of course that didn't happen either. I did however make some granola bars right before we left which I was very thankful to have in the car to snack on for a 20 hour drive! I was just going to take along the homemade granola from the previous post but a couple of you asked how you could turn that into a granola bar so I gave it a whirl for you. But first some vacation photos..........

For those of you who don't know I am from Spokane Washington and I will ALWAYS claim it as home! We usually go home every summer and do all the things you never do while you live there. Like go and enjoy downtown. I love the clock tower at Riverfront park almost as much as I love the view as you come down the hill driving east and the whole downtown comes into view!

You know this one! I miss those mountains so much! I wish you could see it in person because it is very picturesque.

We also went to visit the small local zoo called Cat Tales. It is really about tigers, and cheetahs, and a baby lion cub, and other cats but they also have a bear and Evan got to feed it some watermelon. Evan redeemed himself from our trip to the Seattle Zoo when his two year old sister hand fed a giraffe and he was too scared to do it. Don't tell my pre-teen boy I told you that though! I'll be in big trouble.

It was so cool when he fed him from the top hole and the bear stood up with his paws on the wall. Incredible to be this close!

Faith really enjoyed all the statues much more than the real animals which is strange since she stalked my sisters cats all week long trying to hold them like babies. I am sure the cats were super happy when we left.

My niece Shelby got to feed the GIANT tiger! Very unlike the bear he was super lazy and didn't even want to come over and eat for a while but they some how coaxed him.

The animals are amazing and majestic. Plus it just isn't something you see up close and personal everyday. God the creator never ceases to amaze me.

My favorite was this little lion cub however. He was playful and fun and his toys were cardboard boxes. The zoo keepers said he is a lot of work though. He needs a baby sitter in his cage with him all the time. He is probably the equivalent of a two year old.

We also made a trip up north almost to the Canadian border to visit Gardner Cave. Here we are about to descend into the earth. I must admit that it freaks me out a bit.

It was only 39 degrees in the cave and there was water dripping all over because of the amount of rain the state has received. I did want to go, but I kept thinking the whole time I was down there about miners and how they feel and how horrible it has to be for them if they ever become trapped underground.

It was very educational and very interesting. You are not allowed to touch anything in the cave. The oils on your hands make the stalagmites and stalactites turn black. The guide showed us where someone had touched this piece a couple years ago and said it would take years for those marks to go away.

The other cool thing about going up to the cave was that we got to walk the trail to Canada. It is just a short 1/2 mile hike and you are on the border.

But you can't be too adventurous or you might end up in big trouble!

I wish you could see it better in this picture but the line behind Evan's head is the border. The trees are cleared all the way along the United States and Canadian border from East to West like that. My kids are standing in two places at once! Very cool claim to fame!

We spent the fourth of July in downtown Spokane enjoying the rides, the park, the food, the IMAX theater, some mini golf, the big red wagon, some pony rides, some glow sticks, and of course some fireworks!

That is my dad and Evan on the Ferris wheel. Faith and I were in the cart below. Ferris wheels do not go fast. It takes way to long to load and unload those things when they are trying to balance the weight all out!

So we stuck to the faster rides after that. This is my sister and Faith on the Sizzler. Faith is a dare devil. The scarier the ride the better for her. The girl gets miserably car sick but when it comes to the rides she is a-okay. I don't know if she loves it so much she ignores the sickness or if it is just different. Fun to watch though!

Miles and the kids. We staked out our spot for the fireworks early! I must also mention that the weather was absolutely perfect that day. Sunny and 80 degrees with no humidity. Sorry to the Minnesota friends who had 100 degrees and about as much humidity. We even had to put on our sweatshirts and curl up under the blankets when the sun went down. We also went and hunted down some coffee because we needed to warm up a bit. Spokane let me count the reasons I love thee!!!!!

The fireworks did not disappoint!

My sister also forced me to be her photo shoot subject. She is an amazing photographer. She makes me look better than I am in real life. I think she gets tired of photographing kids and horses so she recruited me.

We decided there might be a little cowgirl in me after all. My sister is a horse person. She is a breeder actually. She owns lots of horses and most of the mamas had cute babies following them around. I am the complete opposite of my sister. I think the horses are beautiful but they tend to be a bit on the dirty and smelly side for me.

Plus she showed me picmonkey.com which lets you add all these fun borders and change up the effects of your pictures. It is super easy to navigate and upload a photo if you want to play around with it some time. Thanks to my niece Shelby for the loan of all her cool clothes. It is good to have a teenage niece. Too bad we don't live closer so I could borrow them more often!

We had a great time, but it is always good to be home too and to get back to a routine. Unfortunately that routine also included a very strict diet for the week and probably into next week as well. We basically pigged out on vacation so now we have to pay the price. That means I have cooked very simple meals and haven't had much to blog about but I will get back into a better routine with that soon too.

So even though  my last post was about granola all you get is granola bars now! But hey, they are pretty healthy and Miles devoured them and you could even get your kids to eat them too. They are pretty quick to make but do take a bit of time to cool.

Measure out your wet ingredients first so they are ready to dump in. I used honey, brown rice syrup, peanut butter, and vanilla.

You can play around with these ingredients to find your favorite combination but I used oats of course, pepitas, cranberries, raisins, unsweetened coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, chopped almonds, and chopped walnuts.

Give it a good stir.

Then mix in your wet ingredients and stir until it comes nicely together. If it is not sticking together well you may need to add a bit more syrup or peanut butter.

Press the mixture into a 9 x 9 pan or I used this one which is maybe 7 X 11.

Bake until golden brown on top which took me about 20 minutes. YOU MUST LET THEM COOL COMPLETELY!!!! If you do not they will just become a crumbly mess and it will be granola not granola bars.

They were soooooo delicious!

This recipe doesn't make a ton though so I think next time I might make a double batch so they last a little longer.

It was very handy to have on the second leg of our trip when the breakfast at the hotel didn't satisfy me enough.

There you have it. Easy peasy!

I promise to do more blogging.

There. I said it. So now I must do it.

It might be pretty simple but I will do it.

For example next up I am going to share some of our favorite drinks with you.

Thanks for sticking with my very long post full of pictures.

 Granola Bars

1/4 cup brown rice syrup (or maple)

1/4 cup honey or agave

1/2 cup all natural peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/4 cups old fashioned oats

1/4 cup cranberries

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup pepitas

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions: Mix wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until it holds nicely together. It may be necessary to add more syrup or peanut butter at this point. Press mixture into a  9 X 9 pan or a 7 X 11. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until starting to brown on top. Let cool completely before slicing into desired size.

Homemade Granola

Finally! I have finally gotten around to making some homemade granola which has been on my "Recipes I Need to Try List" for quite some time. I don't know why it has taken me so long because it really is quite simple to make. A few of you have even asked me if I have a recipe for homemade granola. Now I do.

We will be taking a very long road trip home to Spokane next week and I wanted some granola for a healthy snack in the car, but I also wanted it for a topping on my Greek yogurt and blueberry breakfast.

I tried to keep it simple with the ingredients I already had on hand but I will do some more experimenting eventually for some different flavors. Maybe I will even experiment in Spokane with my sister because she L-O-V-E-S granola!

Into the large bowl went:

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon flax seed

1 tablespoon cinnamon

 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, chopped 

Give all of those dry ingredients a good stir.

Then I added the wet ingredients right into that bowl.

4 tablespoons pure maple syrup

3 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

2 tablespoons agave

I spread that out onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and put it in a 325 degree oven.

Total baking time will be 20- 25 minutes but at every five minutes you will need to take the granola out to give it a good stir and then shake the tray so it all spreads out evenly on the pan again. Watch closely towards those last few minutes so you don't end up getting it too brown. It did crisp up a little bit more after it cooled. I also added about a half cup of raisins after it was all cooled off.

It made a very delicious addition to my yogurt parfait this morning.

I mixed a packet of stevia and some cinnamon with my yogurt in a separate bowl first  then I layered the yogurt, granola, frozen blueberries, and a drizzle of agave three times. One sweet little girl woke up early today (by early I mean summertime early at 8am) and decided she liked mine so much she wanted one of her own.

Hooray, the queen of cereal has broadened her horizons!

I filled my granola container after I had a few handfuls of course. I am guessing I will have to make another batch before we leave next week because this is a great snack that won't last that long, especially if I eat it for breakfast too.

I love that this granola is only slightly sweet and that I was in total control of how much sugar and sweetness I wanted it to have. That is my complaint with most store bought granola. The ingredient list is usually fairly healthy, but then they have to ruin it by adding a ton of added sugar and sometimes oil.

When I was stirring in the wet ingredients I realized it wasn't quite enough and that is why I added the extra two tablespoons of agave. You could do all maple syrup or honey as well but next time I might try to add more applesauce instead and less syrup. I will probably need to add a bit of stevia to the dry ingredient list if I change that up.

I am super excited now to try some more recipes. It could become like my date ball addiction. I do have 3 more flavors to add to that growing list. Don't say I didn't warn you!

P.S. Be proud people! I totally measured and wrote this recipe down as I made it so I could be accurate for you all.

Homemade Granola

2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup almonds, measured then chopped

1/2 cup sunflower seeds, lightly salted and roasted

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, measured then chopped

1 Tbsp. flax seed

2 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. pure maple syrup (or brown rice syrup)

3 Tbsp. unsweetened applesauce

2 Tbsp. agave nectar (or honey)

1/2 cup raisins or cranberries or other dried fruit of choice

Optional: Use whatever combination of syrups, agave, and/or honey you prefer. If you want to lessen the amount of those sweeteners for a less calorie choice use all applesauce (9 tablespoons) and add about 1/4 cup stevia to the dry ingredient list.

Directions: In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients and stir. Add wet ingredients to the bowl and stir again. Spread mixture out evenly onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place in a 325 degree oven for 20-25 mintues stirring every 5 minutes and spreading back out until crispy and slightly browned. Let cool completely and add dried fruit of choice.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

It is pouring down rain here. Thunder and lightening too. That means it is the perfect day to enjoy a cookie with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk if you are a milk drinker. That is my excuse anyway.

The truth is I have gone to too many graduation parties and indulged in too many desserts lately and now I have a little hankering for sweets going on. I am working on getting that back under control but in the mean time I wanted a dessert I could enjoy without the guilt.

I whipped up this small batch of cookies last night in about 6 minutes and they only took 12 minutes to bake. Sweet tooth satisfied in 19 minutes (I waited about a minute for it to cool before breaking off a little piece.) Plus it only made 12 cookies so I won't have them hanging around here tempting me all week.

Three tablespoons of Earth Balance, 1/4 cup of honey, 1 egg, 1/2 cup Sucanat, and 1 tablespoon water go into the mixer. Using the paddle attachment, blend until thoroughly mixed. I just let it run while I got the dry ingredients together.

In my pyrex measuring cup (dirty only one dish whenever possible) I placed 1 1/2 cups oats, 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus.....

1/2 cup whole wheat flour. I didn't level that if you are wondering. I just shook it down a little until it looked close enough. I know I am lazy and don't follow the baking rules that my Home Ec. teacher taught me in the 8th grade. I still have issues with how she taught us to scramble eggs. Maybe that is why I rebel against measuring.

She ruined me. It is all her fault I guess.

I took a fork and mixed these 4 ingredients around in the cup and then added them to the mixer. Mix wet and dry ingredients until thoroughly combined. Decide now if you will add the dark chocolate chips or not!!! I went back and forth and then was sorry I hadn't added them to the batter.

So after I had dropped the spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet I pressed a few chocolate chips into the cookies. I was super glad I did. Raisins would be awesome too and then my kids wouldn't like them as much so Miles and I could have more. So I am a bad "measure-ur" and I am a bad sharing mom!

12 minutes later and look how big and puffy and chewy they came out!

Then I was kind of glad I had just pressed those chips in because see how they just got a little bit soft and melty. Yummo! Plus each cookie only had about 5-6 chips which helps the calorie count. Next time they will just go in the batter however because that is easier. You won't need very many chips for such a small recipe.

One little plate of delicious and healthier cookies to enjoy!

Keep in mind that these are not sugar free because I used sucanat which is a good replacement for brown sugar since it isn't as refined. The whole wheat flour also makes these better for you as does dark chocolate versus milk or semi-sweet chips. You could also use egg beater instead of one whole egg to help the calorie count which is about 125 per cookie. I am not sure how they would taste with just Stevia instead of Sucanat since they need that brown sugar taste but since it is such a small recipe it might be worth a little experimenting.

Now I must go do some form of exercise. I was planning on running this morning outside but my husband came and told me to sleep longer because of the storm. Faith is still asleep or I would take the both of us to the YMCA so maybe a pilates video will have to do for the day. Perhaps later this storm will pass and that run will happen???

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

• 3 tablespoons Earth Balance (or other spread of choice)
• 1/2 cup Sucanat
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• Optional dates, figs, raisins, cranberries, chocolate chips, or chopped nuts.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Using a mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the Earth Balance, Sucanat, honey, egg and water thoroughly.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients then stir in the oats. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix. Add any additional ingredients you've chosen.
4. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack

Yields 1 dozen cookies



A Week of Salad - Friday

Well my week of VBS has come to an end but not my week of salad. I think I will probably eat it again today for lunch. I really don't mind eating it that often. It is very filling, guilt free, loaded with veggies, and has lots of nutrition. It also keeps me full for quite some time. Even the man in my life enjoyed the week. I think Friday's salad was probably his favorite but my favorite was Tuesday's kale salad. The kids had a little bit of salad on their plates along with other things like fruit and sandwiches if you were wondering.

Let's start with the dressing this time. This is all folks. I only used half the lime and squeezed a little juice on both salads. Then topped it with a little of this salsa. Divine!

The lettuce was a mix of green leaf and romaine. I added pinto beans, corn, chopped grape tomatoes, sliced avocado, chopped mango, and a little reduced fat pepper jack. Believe it or not that little pile of salsa and dollop of sour cream was plenty of dressing for this very large salad. The avocado made it nice and creamy too.

This is a very delicious salad and the dressing couldn't be more simple. This is also a great salad to eat if you are not much of a salad lover. It is almost like eating the filling of a taco or burrito. We love to eat salsa as a dressing but I forget about it most of the time. I hope this week of posts has helped you think outside the usual when it comes to salad. If you vary the combinations you really can enjoy it for an entire week dare I even say look forward to it! Just give it a try!

Now sadly, I must post my last VBS pictures of the night.........yes I said sadly!

We made the best bubble solution but it didn't work like it was supposed to because of the wind. The kids were supposed to stand on a cinder block in the center and have a hula hoop lifted over them to be in a giant bubble. The cinder block kept popping the bubble too. But these bubble wands came to the rescue!

I loved how involved our leaders got with the kids this week!

Can you say water rocket? This was probably the favorite part of the night for the kids.

See that black dot way at the top center of this picture? That is the rocket. There were a few times they almost hit a car in the street. Several adults asked me last night who made the water rocket launcher. I think there might be some launching in the future for some very happy kids and their dads!

The kids made cards last night to send along with the $850 we raised to buy mosquito nets for kids in Mali Africa. I loved this picture. She is writing in her best handwriting, Jesus loves you. So sweet.

The final sea of kids! Plus lots of parents and grandparents who came to watch.We were having so much trouble with the sound last night cutting in and out and getting extremely loud all of the sudden but the kids just kept singing and they sounded completely amazing! I wish this was a video instead of just a picture.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this one incredible week!

Can I please have a nap now?