Granola Bars

Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Healthy, no bake granola bars with just 5 ingredients and a sweet, crunchy texture. Peanut butter and honey complement each other perfectly in this ideal portable breakfast or snack.

Author: Minimalist Baker

Recipe type: Snack

Serves: 10 bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)*
• 1/4 cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
• 1/4 cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
• optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.
• I also added chia seeds and flax seeds

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a "dough" like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw - I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl - set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8x8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn't necessary.

Notes

*If your dates don't feel sticky and moist, soak them in water for 10 minutes then drain before processing. This will ultimately help hold the bars together better.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 217 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Sugar: 19 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 6 g

Recipe from:

http://minimalistbaker.com/healthy-5-ingredient-granola-bars/

Mini Puffed Oven Pancakes

Mini Puffed Oven Pancakes with Berry Sauce
recipe by ourbestbites.com 
Ingredients
 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons butter, melted
powdered sugar
Berry Sauce
6 large frozen or fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons berry jam
optional: sugar if needed, to taste

Instructions
Place mini muffin pan (or cast iron skillet) in oven and heat to 400 degrees.  While oven is heating, place flour, milk, eggs, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.  Carefully remove the pan from the oven (don’t forget it’s hot!) and quickly spray the wells with non-stick spray, or brush with melted butter.  But we’re going for quick and easy here so I just grab the spray.  (If using cast iron pan, coat entire pan surface with butter).  Fill muffin wells 3/4 full with batter.  Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and slightly golden on top.  Remove puffs and place on plate or platter.  Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Drizzle with berry sauce and top with cool whip or whipped cream, or serve with sauce and/or maple syrup for dipping.
Quick and Easy Berry Sauce
If using frozen berries, place berries and jam in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for  about 1 minute.  Use a fork to stir and mash everything together (cut strawberries if necessary), or place everything in a blender and pulse a few times until desired consistency is reached.  Add sugar to taste for sweetness and a few teaspoons of water or juice only if needed for consistency.
Yields about 24 mini muffin pancake puffs

***I prefer to fill the puffs with cream cheese filling
-Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and either milk or heavy cream until smooth and creamy (I don't measure these ingredients, I just add them to taste)

Mandarin Almond Salad

3 tbs sugar
1/2 cup almonds- slivered

In a small skillet, heat the 3 tbs sugar and the almonds until coated, place on a cookie sheet and broil on low (stir occasionally) until toasted.

1 tbs sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs vinegar
1 tbs fresh parsley-minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid.

1 head of lettuce
1 can mandarin oranges-drained
1 small green onion sliced
1 package Top Roman-broken

Just before serving, mix the remaining ingredients and almonds. Shake the dressing and pour over the salad.

Quinoa Pilaf

For 3-4 people:
1 cup quinoa
2 1/4 cup water (cold)

Chop the following vegetables small (smaller than bite-sized but not diced)
1 medium-large zucchini
1 medium-large summer squash
3 medium carrots (cut smaller than the rest because they take longer to cook)
1/2 red bell bepper
1/4 cup red onion (optional)
1 T olive oil
Salt and pepper

Combine the cold water and quinoa in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, then coverand reduce heat. Cook approximately 15 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet, add the vegetables and saute with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat till cooked through. Combine the cooked quinoa and vegetables. Finish with a pat of butter and season to taste.

Yummy/ Funeral Potatoes

32 oz frozen bag of hash browns (or fresh)
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 cups of sour cream (16 oz)
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of butter (melted)
1 tsp of onion powder
2 cups of corn flakes
9x13 pan

Combine soup, sour cream, and cheese. Add onion, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Mix sauce and hash browns then place in a 9x13 pan
Melt butter and combine with corn flakes. Sprinkle crumbs over casserole. Bake in a greased dish 40 min at 375

BLACK BEANS

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro. (**NOTE** we added a can of corn, drained, to the beans with a dash of cumin and chili powder, it was AWESOME! We recommend doing this even though it's not "traditional Cafe Rio")

CILANTRO-LIME RICE

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.