Granola Bars
FYI: I added a Whittle My Middle (WMM) page to the top of the blog. Logging my WMM and fitness on the same page was getting messy looking, so I separated them. I know you could care less are dying to check it out, so here ya go: Whittle My Middle
I have some good new and bad news. Good news first! I made my very first granola bars yesterday! They were very very good! I was SUPER surprised how good they turned out. Bad news… my camera batter died, and I don't know where the charger is….so, NO PICTURES. boo hoo! The entire time I was making the bars I thought about how great of a story I could tell with some pictures, but there was no camera available. Here is a picture I took this morning with my crapy cell phone camera…this is the bar I am going to eat in just a minute!
I had such a blast making them…(yes I just said the word blast in the same sentance as cooking/baking). Cindy my go to gal, gave me some great tips and I put them to use. I changed the recipe up a bit (something I would usually be too AFRAID to do) I added raisins, chia seeds, more coconut, dark chocolate chips, whole almonds, a little agave, and some a hand full of other dried fruit I had on hand. If your interested in the recipe, you can check it out here.
Dave and I sampled the mixture before putting it in the oven and we LOVED it. I couldn't wait for it to come out. I kept checking on them every few minutes and finally when they looked golden brown I pulled them out. You should have smelled our house….it smell AMAZING! Dave immediately came in the kitchen and started to pick at it…I slapped is handasked him politely to wait until they cooled. With anticipation we waited for them to cool and once they were ready, I cut them into 8 bars (I halved the recipe) and then wrapped them in saran wrap, minus the two bars Dave and I ate on the SPOT! THEY WERE SO GOOD! Seriously, I couldn't believe it. We both scarfed them down and loved every bite! I can't believe that I have been missing out on SO MANY amazing foods! Geeze. While eating a million ideas of what I could do with this stuff ran through my head. SO exciting!! Here is a pic of the bar all wrapped up and ready to go, doesn't it look cute? Or am I just proud of myself? lol
Yesterday we picked up some Nutri Grain bars for Dave (he usually has one for breakfast) and they were almost $4 a box. I couldn't believe they were so expensive. I believe they come with 8 bars, SO today, Dave and I are going to add up all the ingredients it takes to make the bars I made last night, and do a price comparison against the Nutri Grain Bars. Dave is a math wiz and can do all the measurements and conversions in a jiffy, so I'm going to send him the info he'll need and then presto, he'll send back the numbers and I can then do a price analysis. Fun right?
I know there are THOUSANDS of recipes out there, which is exciting because I can just keep trying new ones! I picked this recipe because I had all the ingredients, and it sounded super easy (which it was). The only complaint I have is that they don't stick together as well as I'd like. Maybe I needed to add more honey or more of something? I don't really know, I'll have to mess with it. If you have any suggestions let me know.
Oh, I am SO happy its Friday! We have TONS to do this weekend, but when you don't have to add work into the mix of things, it's always better! Our goal it to get a couch for the bonus room, find some decorations to fill a bunch of the dead space, finish the laundry room, hang up the pictures/clocks…etc, oh and much much more! (Any design/decoration ideas for the side walls where our tv hangs? The sides are so bare. I have a giant picture I might hang to the left of the tv…take a look at the space and if you have any ideas…please share!)
Exercise Note: We went to the gym again yesterday. It was wonderful. You can check out what I did here. I would have liked to stay at the gym longer, but Dave never wants to be there for longer than 30 minutes, so 45 was pushing it. I got to thinking yesterday and now that the gym is 10-15 minutes from our house, I think I'd rather workout at home. Since I am no longer working out in the mornings, It kinda sucks to get home from work, change, go to the gym, and then have it be dark and late by the time we get home. I don't like that. If we worked out at home, we would save ourselves at least 30 minutes. I talked to Dave last night about starting/buying PX90 (I want him to do it with me), he said he'd think about it. He doesn't know ANYTHING about it and is worried that it might be more of a girl thing "like the shred" (his words, not mine) not that the shred isn't hard he said…but he wants something that will build muscle, not just tone. He is already toned, he wants to get bigger and stronger. I JUST KNOW that PX90 would be enough, I just have to convince him of it. I plan on sending him a few testimonial/videos today. I think they will do the trick…..the first time I saw the infomercial I was a believer!! I think he'll come around.
Fridays are SLOW around here so I'm going to get to reading this baby!
(I talked to the nutrionist yestserday, and she recommended I read this book
Have a wonderful weekend!!
PS..it's not too late to get people involved in PFM. Have you asked anyone at work to get involved? If not…why not? Go over there right now and tell them all about it, ok? Ok, great…good job!
-loves to all-
QA:
Are you a Twilight fan?
Do you plan on seeing the movie this weekend?
Did you squirm/get butterflies/feel like an idiot teen girl on the first movie right before they kissed…or was that just me?
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Megan @ Megzz Wins At Life on 2009.11.20
I read all the twilight books and saw the first movie so I will be going to see the movie on sunday with my little sister.
I am also looking for a good nutritional book to read so I am going to order that book and give it read!
Have a nice weekend!
Megan @ Megzz Wins At Life´s last blog ..broken lens
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on 2009.11.20
The granola bars look great! I am not really a Twilight fan, though I do enjoy it. I am a huge True Blood fan. HUGE!
Jessica @ How Sweet It Is´s last blog ..Trivia Friday #5
Evan Thomas on 2009.11.20
Those bars looks good! Last time I mad bars they were too soft but I'll check out that recipe. I can't wait to hear how the prices stacked up
Evan Thomas´s last blog ..Vegan Thursday
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg on 2009.11.20
Yum– even just on a phone pic, that granola bar looks gooood! I've made granola several times, but never tried bars…I'll have to try that some day soon!
I'm a (somewhat embarrased) Twilight fan, but I'll probably wait a while to brave the theaters for the movie
Have a great day!
Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg´s last blog ..Dinner in DC
Nicole on 2009.11.20
Good job on the granola!! Don't be afraid on subbing stuff for recipes! Some you win and some you lose! The ones you win, though, are worth all the bad mishaps! Glad you are enjoying cooking/baking! Welcome to the dark side! The next time I'm in Utah, we have to get together to bake!
Nicole´s last blog ..Vegan 4 a Day!
Karyn on 2009.11.20
i plan on seeing it tonight actually
and those granola bars look fabulous!!
Karyn´s last blog ..Frostbite….
Karin on 2009.11.20
Oh those bars look great!
) such a big deal..
Twilight is my guilty pleasure but I'll have to wait a little for the New Moon premiere because over here it starts on Wednesday. It sucks big time even though a few days aren't (or shouldn't be
Lu on 2009.11.20
Thanks for your comment on my blog. I love your granola bars. I wish I had more time to make things like that. I would love to know how your book turns out. It looks like an interesting read.
- I love Twilight. Er, I LOVE TWILIGHT!
- I'm seeing the movie tonight.
- Yes. Like a teenage girl, with butterflies, and I totally thought I would grow up and marry Edward. *swoon*
Love your blog. I'm going to add it to my blogroll.
Lu´s last blog ..It’s Been A While…
Natalie on 2009.11.20
Lu,
These bars took 20 minutes…MAX and that was baking time too! You could totally make these!! Hope you try!! xoxo
Natalie on 2009.11.20
Yes..come to utah and bake with me and teach me how!!
Krista on 2009.11.20
Awesome bars, Natalie!
Total Twilight fan over here! Butterflies before the kiss? You bet. Glad I wasn't the only one! I will be seeing New Moon…opens tonight here….but not till next week when the theatre quiets dwon some. Don't think I can handle 100's of squealing teens. I need for it to be completely quiet so I can give Edward my full concentration!!
Krista´s last blog ..Spinning
Moran on 2009.11.20
Hi! Thanks for your comment on my blog!
I am a HUGE Twilight fan, much more than I pretend around the people who know me (hahaha)! In my defense I shall say that I am way more into the books…the first movie was just okay, and I haven't seen New Moon yet but I doubt it will leave me in awe…books are always so much better. And I also get the craze around Rob Pattinson – Edward is way sexier!
But I am definitely going to see New Moon – it only gets here on the 26th which sucks :S
Beth @ DiningAndDishing on 2009.11.20
Homemade granola bars are a great idea!! Delicious and probably a lot better for you than store-bought ones!
Beth @ DiningAndDishing´s last blog ..Thanksgiving a Week Early
Natalie on 2009.11.20
Tell your hubby P90X will definitely be enough for him, esp if you guys do the full program. You guys should give it a go-I think he'll be surprised!!
Natalie´s last blog ..Very Veggie Soup
Taylor@Joy of Food on 2009.11.20
I must be the only person on the planet who hasn't read or seen any of the Twilight series.
Taylor@Joy of Food´s last blog ..My First Boat
alli on 2009.11.20
hey there! i just found your blog throuh caitlin's. i've been catching up on ya this afternoon. i've dealt with many of the same things you have regarding health/nutrition/body image. i just want to tell you you are beautiful! i look forward to following your blog!
jacksonallison.blogspot.com
letseat2live.wordpress.com
Cindy on 2009.11.20
Look at you girlie! NICE job on the bars and I am STOKED they turned out great for you! Probably adding more sticky fruits (like dates) or a bit more sweet (agave or honey) will make it stick better.
I made more granola this morning. I was going to make bars too but JJ was needing more attention that I could dissect so I just made granola. I added a persimmon today! It turned out great!
you are on your way! Have a super great weekend.
Cindy´s last blog ..Gee your Hair Smells Good
Katie on 2009.11.20
Yummy granola bars!!
I am a total Twilight fan! I read all the books in about 5 seconds and nearly fainted during the first movie when they kissed (only a slight exaggeration). I hope to see the second one soon! xoxo
Katie´s last blog ..Another day
Bekah on 2009.11.21
Congrats with the granola bars- I made granola today, and yes- SO MANY COMBINATIONS!
(And so much healthier and cheaper. More fun too, I always snack while baking though, that's my issue. ) hehe
Bekah´s last blog ..na-moo-ste!
Jess on 2009.11.22
I know what you mean about getting to and spending time at the gym. Sometimes it seems so much easier to just do something at home.
Got home not long ago from seeing New Moon for the second time, so I guess you could say I am a fan!
Wasn't really digging this movie as much as the first one, since New Moon is my least fave book. Can't wait for Eclipse!
Jess´s last blog ..I got Chills