Singing for a smaller me

I really intended yesterday's post to go up a lot earlier than it did, but I got a little lost at the gym. Ah well!!

Besides teh shopping trip of awesome wherein Zan began to feel like a new woman because she finally owned bras that fit again, I also managed to fit in some baking time over the weekend.

Over at one of the non-weight loss blogs I follow, HighHeelsAndCombatBoots (she's faboo, you should totally read her blog), I read this post about making homemade granola bars. How crazy is it that until I read that I didn't even realize you could make homemade granola bars?!? Heh.

How awesome would it be, I thought, if I could make my own granola bars with just the ingredients I wanted without having to worry about things like HFCS (the devil!!!) and artificial sweeteners. Sure, it'd probably be a little higher calorie, but fresh and all made by me!!!!! Ooooo, ooo, ooo, and granola bars are perfect hiking snacks!!!! And they'll keep me fuller longer cos there won't be any filler in them!

Obviously, the idea wouldn't be dropped, so I did what any sensible, completely obsessed person would do: started scouring the internet for all different kinds of granola bar recipes, picking and choosing recipes based on ingredients I already had at home (yes, I do keep flaxseed and wheat germ on hand all the time as a matter of fact!), and came up with my own version which is here for your viewing pleasure:

Zan's Chewy Granola Bars



These bars are easily customizable, simply swap out the chocolate chips and pecans for 1 1/2 to 2 cups of your favorite chips, seeds, dried fruits, etc.

Ingredients
3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup flaxseed
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tbsp butter, softened
2 tbsp Better n' Peanut Butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and lightly grease and/or line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, flaxseed, wheat germ and flour. Set Aside.
3. In another bowl, combine butter, peanut butter, honey, applesauce, baking soda, vanilla and brown sugar.
4. Add in dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Stir in any additional items (chocolate chips, seeds, nuts, dried fruit, etc.).
5. Press mixture into prepared pan evenly.
6. Bake at 325 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes or until golden brown.
7. Let cool for ten minutes, then transfer to refrigerator to cool completely before cutting into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 24 servings.

Calories: 205; Fat: 9.5g; Saturated Fat: 3.9g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.6g; Monounsaturated Fat: 2.0g; Cholesterol: 7.6mg; Sodium: 79.3mg; Potassium: 72.1mg; Total Carbohydrates: 29.6g; Dietary Fiber: 3.9g; Sugars 15.4g; Protein: 4.3g

Each bar works out to 6 WW PointsPlus value.

You can find this recipe over at SparkRecipes.com for a more printer friendly version. Just search for Zan's Chewy Granola Bars. (and if you wanted to rate it and/or review it that would be great too!!)

Oh.My.God. These bars are a-ma-zing. Sofa king tasty. Seriously. The DH liked them, and he doesn't like granola bars or oatmeal cookies. SUCCESS!!! And oh-so-filling. One of these babies can keep me going on a normal day for two hours. Haven't tried them on a hike since this weekend's hike was cancelled, but I'm betting they'll be great!

Okay, gab at ya later!!!