Okay so has it really been since last June since I posted? Why yes it has! Why you ask, well I have been a busy little bee and let me be honest. I have also been an excited, stressed and emotional little bee. Settling in to a new place, making a big house feel like a cozy home, traveling back and forth for jobs (photography related stuff) and finding a part time job. Y'all moving to a new place can be scary but in the midst of all the changes life unfolded before my eyes. Corbin and I gained David and Britt and now our lives are complete. David and I became engaged this past June, planned a destination wedding and got married in November. Corbin started a new school, I started a new job and life happened. We got busy, especially me. I neglected myself and my sanity to get things just right in our house. I skipped meals, started sneaking Dr Peppers at the local gas station and sipping on them during long road trips. Confession: Before every wedding I inhaled 1-2 Dr Peppers and a king size Reese's Cup, it was my fuel to shoot 8+ hour weddings. Yet I haven't managed to exceed 130 pounds and being called skinny minnie your whole life can play tricks on you. I wasn't overweight by no means but Dr Pepper and Reese's cups...come one!
Okay, enough about my terrible eating habits. You know I haven't had a Reese's Cup or a Dr. Pepper since October, which just so happened to be the last wedding of the year for me. I finished on a high note and 2018 is shaping up to be an amazing year for business. Every year that passes, more and more things happen that really make me see that dreams really can come true.
Enough about Reese's Cups, dreams and photography let me share this yummy and healthy granola bar recipe with you. So, who likes a good granola bar with a big glass of milk? Me! I think you will like this recipe, and I think you will thank me for sharing it. If you like to cook please give this a try. Here we are in 2018 and many of you are turning new leaves so to speak. If you want a healthy recipe and something easy and fun to let the kids help with, gather them and let them get their hands dirty. I found this recipe on Pinterest, are you surprised? Enjoy all the yummy pictures below and be sure to try this super easy recipe. I have already meal prepped for the week and my breakfast consists of a smoothie and one of these yummy granola bars. I ended up cutting 16 granola bars from this recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 bananas, ripe and mashed
- 2 Tbs honey (any kind of honey is fine)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2¼ cup oats (rolled oats, quick cooking)
- 1 cup crispy rice cereal
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup walnut halves/pieces (I crushed mine very fine)
- ½ cup dried cranberries (you could also used dried cherries or any dried fruit)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a bowl microwave peanut butter, honey and vanilla for 30 seconds.
- In another bowl mash bananas with a fork.
- Combine bananas and peanut butter mixture and stir, then add in the brown sugar and stir.
- Next, add in the remaining ingredients and stir to combine, it may be a little hard to stir. I like to fold the ingredients together (folding under and over with a spatula).
- When everything is mixed together spread it into the prepared baking dish and flatten the top so that it is even.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are golden brown, you may need to bake for a few more minutes (I've had to bake these all the way up to 30 minutes one time).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool completely, then, using a sharp knife cut into 20 bars.
- These granola bars store really well in the freezer. Simply individually wrap them in plastic wrap and put in a freezer bag and remove when ready to enjoy, or store in an air tight container in the fridge.
I actually did not allow mine to cool completely and they were still easy to cut. I enjoyed one warm granola bar with a glass of cold milk. If you wish to be a perfect rule follower, by all means let them cool. If you are like me and take chances then go ahead and cut in to the warm deliciousness. All I have to say is ENJOY!
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