Not a food blogger, but a food blog none the less

I am not a food blogger, a Pinterest recipe maker, a meal planner, or even a very good cook for that matter, but sometimes I have a stroke of brilliance that impresses even the two year olds taste buds.

Here are a few recent recipes that would be cruel not to share with fellow toddler housers.    

Just like your kid, my kid would eat a granola bar for all three meals a day.  I have found a few pre-made ones that are okay ingredient wise, but nothing that I'm in love with.  I have also experimented with countless recipes for homemade, but most of them seem to fall apart, be overly sticky or not taste quite yummy enough .  We love homemade Lara style bars, but I was in search of a, "looks like a classic Quaker granola bar, bar!"

I finally mastered one, even better, it is no bake!

I adapted this recipe from a different blog that I read a long time ago and I can't remember her name so I can't give her credit.  Sorry lady who is far smarter in the kitchen that I, I am giving you all the credit; just not in writing!  Her recipe used mainstream ingredients, I used fucking expensive better quality, but other than that I pretty much stole her recipe.  Is my posting this even legal?  Oh, right, like three people read this, I think I'm safe.  Nobody call the internet recipe police on me, okay?

No bake granola bars

2 cups of oats (I use Bob's Red Mill gluten free oats) Pulse them up a bit in the food processor first if you want
1 cup crisp brown rice cereal (I use Euewhon brand)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup grass fed butter
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup coconut sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional: 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy life brand)

Mix the oats, cereal and coconut together in a large bowl, set aside.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Once fully melted add the honey, coconut sugar and salt.  Bring to a rapid boil and allow to boil for just under three minutes.  You can turn the head down if it is going to boil over and make a huge sticky mess of your stove.  You will surely curse me if you have a huge sticky mess.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour the gooey mixture over the dry mixture and fully incorporate with a silicone spatula.
If you want to add chocolate chips, wait a few minutes for the granola to cool first or you will have a melted chocolate goo mess.
Now pour the granola mix into a greased (I always just use butter) 8x8 dish and press is down firmly.  Seriously, put some weight behind it and smash it good, this is what will hold them together later.
Now pop them in the fridge for around 30 minutes to cool.
Once fully cool you can use an offset spatula to get the granola brick out and cut it into bars.  Another reason I like homemade is that I can make the bars as big as I want, and that means pretty small.  Cut them in shapes, cut them in bars, eat the whole damn brick if you want, enjoy!

P.S During the Summer I keep them in an airtight glass container in the fridge separated by parchment paper.  In the Winter they can live in the cabinet.


The Brown Cow:  Kind of like a chocolate milkshake, but actually not at all like a chocolate milkshake.  The brilliance of this "milkshake" is that you can hide all kinds of healthy mix ins and your kid, or you, will have no idea.  Yes, even cod liver oil in case you were curious.

1 cup chocolate milk (you can use chocolate almond milk, regular milk with 1tbs.of a good quality cocoa powder, or homemade almond milk with 1tbs. cocoa)

1tbs. raw honey (if you are using store bought chocolate milk of choice you won't need the honey because it will already be sweetened)

2 tbs. almond butter (or peanut butter or cashew butter or sun butter)

1 large frozen banana cut into pieces (you can use a regular banana, but it won't be nearly as cold/creamy delicious)

This alone is delicious, but I add a ton of other shit to it just because I can!

*Lessen the amount of milk if you want a thicker, more ice cream texture.  This is my preference, but Cache can't get it up a straw, so I add more milk for him. 

*Left overs can be poured into popsicle molds and eaten like a fudgesicle.  Yeah, yum!

Mix ins
1tbs. wheat germ

A few squirts of flax seed oil

1tsp. probiotic powder

1tbs. cod liver oil

1tsp. brewers yeast

A giant handful of spinach

Sometimes I add all of it and other times just a few.  Cache and I usually share this milkshake but occasionally he hogs it all.

Thanks for reading.  I have a bunch of random recipes that I have made up over the past few years that I would share if anyone is interested.  They aren't that exciting, but the toddler palate is a mysterious thing

Oh, and if you are the lady who made up the original granola bar recipe, call me, I'll credit you I swear!





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