Homemade Laräbar: Peanut Butter Cookie

//this post has been moved to the new blog! //

After reading about Laräbars on various food blogs I went and bought one about a month ago. The cringe worth $2 price tag for the little tiny bar was worth it, and I was especially excited to see ingredients list! (Or lack there of!) I tried the Peanut Butter Cookie flavor, which only has Dates, Peanuts and Salt. I had seen a few Larabar recipes on some of my favorite healthy food blogs, like Chocolate Covered Katie, and set out to make some for myself. I am going on vacation in just over a week, and have been making healthy snacks for the trip.

I kept it super simple and stuck with the original ingredients: Dates and Peanuts! My mom ordered Date Paste from our co-op, which is perfect for this because it’s already ground up. If you don’t have date paste, just use the same weight of regular dates. I did a 1:1 weight ratio of dates to peanuts, and didn’t add any salt, because: a) It didn’t taste like it needed salt, the peanuts were already a little salty, and b) I forgot to!

Homemade Laräbar: Peanut Butter Cookie 

• 11 oz Salted Peanuts
• 11 oz Date Paste

The measurements are irrelevant as long as you have a weight ratio of 1:1. Process the paste and peanuts in your food processor until they are the consistency of coarse sand. Line a shallow pan with tin foil and firmly press the dough into it. Refrigerate until firm, then cut into bars with a sharp knife. Wrap them in foil and store in the fridge or freezer.

Yield: 14 (~1.5) ounce bars with the pan I used, I had enough dough left on the edges to make #15 but that was a taste-test =)

Date Paste.

Peanuts.

Not fine enough yet…

Perfect!

Press dough into a foil-lined pan.

Smooth top and fold foil over, refrigerate until firm.

Wrap them in foil.

Creative labeling. Oh yes.

Truly Healthy Granola

This has been my first Sunday (well, whole weekend!) off work in a number of weeks so I’ve been taking it easy with my netflix movies streaming on demand, recipes to be tried, and freshly pressed cider or a homemade latte to drink. Not to mention time to try out my new mountain bike, and practice some yoga and pilates moves! (I now can do the bird of paradise move, and have a picture to prove it, but it’s a little too awkward-looking to post online…haha. I will get a better one soon!)  It’s been so relaxing! I was reading The Healthy Foodie and found a recipe I had to try, “Truly Healthy Granola”. No added fats, and only a touch of a minimally processed sweetener.

I didn’t have all the ingredients that The Healthy Foodie called for so I improvised a little.

Truly Healthy Granola

adapted from The Healthy Foodie

2c. Puffed Rice
2c. Oats
1/4c. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4c. Freshly Ground Flax
1/2tsp Sea Salt
1/2tsp Cinnamon

3/4c. Homemade Applesauce (sweetened with a little honey, stevia and sugar.)
3 TB Natural Honey
1/2tsp Maple Flavoring
1/2tsp Vanilla Flavoring

Mix dry; mix wet in separate bowl. Combine and mix until dry ingredients are thoroughly coated. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes, stir, then bake for another 15 minutes or until crunchy. It takes longer than regular granola because of the moisture in the applesauce.

We have an abundance of apples thanks to a client who owns a summer cottage with 4 healthy apple trees! She goes away for the winter and isn’t here when the apples ripen so we get them! They are not sprayed with any chemicals and are very tasty! We pressed over 30 gallons of cider last week, and my mom has been making loads of applesauce! Also completed: Apple Dumplings. The Very Best Fall Dessert Ever. They are a Fall classic here and a family favorite!

What are some of your favorite apple recipes? I would love to see them! Leave it in a comment or email me at livlovelaugh@gmail.com. 

Homemade Granola

Granola with yogurt and fruit is one of my favorite ways to start the day. Thanks to my mom and gramma, I escaped store-brand granolas that are excessively high in sugar and calories (not to mention lacking in taste!), and have grown up munching on deliciously homemade granola. This past week I introduced the girls I was nannying to homemade granola. It was a big hit :D. Now that I’m home, I decided to make up a batch…. I’m not sure what I wanted to do more…photograph it or eat it! :P Here is my tried and true recipe, with a twist! Instead of six cups of rolled oats, this recipe has three cups of oats and three cups of puffed wheat. The puffed wheat lightens the granola up a bit and gives it a nice crunch. Credit to la madre for this tasty variation! Read on for the recipe and photos…
[three cups rolled oats]

[three cups puffed wheat]

[quarter cup pecan meal]

[quarter cup ground flaxseed]

[one cup flaked coconut]

[one cup sliced almonds]

[half cup raw sugar]

[half cup honey, half cup oil]

[one half to one teaspoon cinnamon]

[one teaspoon lemon juice]

[apologies for messy hair and shiny face.]

[bake at 350, stirring every 3-5 minutes until golden brown]

[remove from oven. if you like your granola chunky like me, while it is still hot press down like you are making a giant granola bar. break into pieces when cool.]

Homemade Granola

3 c. Rolled Oats
3 c. Puffed Wheat
1/4 c. Pecan Meal
1/4 c. Ground Flaxseed
1 c. Coconut
1 c. Sliced Almonds
1/2 c. Oil
1/2 c. Honey
1/2 c. Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Juice
1-2 tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
1/2-1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Salt

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Pour honey, oil and lemon juice over top and mix well. Bake at 350. When granola starts to brown, stir. Once browning, stir every 3-5 mintues until it is a nice golden brown. It will burn quickly so make sure to stir it! (…not like I ever burned my granola or anything….)