What’s For Conference Breakfast? Good Morning Casserole!

Hey all. I know I had mentioned my plans to make a delicious General Conference breakfast of Chocolate Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls and that I would share the recipe (which I was making up in my head) if they worked. Well, I actually ended up trying to make them as chocolate-raspberry swirl rolls with a cream cheese filling layer. Sounds divine, right? Well, they weren’t. They flopped. And it wasn’t that they were gross or anything… they just totally failed to please. What a disappointment. But I’ll probably start looking at ways to tweak and adjust that recipe to see if I can make it work, because it just sounds too good to not! In the meantime, if you’re thinking about using a chocolate cake mix in that Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls recipe, my advice is: don’t. 🙂

Anyway, I didn’t want to feel like a total failure on the ‘cool breakfast’ front, so Sunday morning, we had this breakfast, which was delicious. So I thought I would share it with you in place of the failed cinnamon rolls. 😀 For me it doesn’t entirely count as a food storage breakfast because, although all the ingredients could be stored on the shelf or in the freezer, I wouldn’t use powdered eggs in place of fresh in this recipe. As great as powdered eggs are for baking… they do not make an adequate substitute for fresh when ‘egg’ is one of the spotlighted ingredients (in my humble opinion). So anyway… if you’re brave and want to try it with powdered eggs, then yes, this counts as a food storage recipe. Otherwise, just enjoy it anytime you want a special breakfast. 🙂

Good Morning Breakfast Casserole

Download Printable Version
Ingredients:

• 1 bag (about 1 lb) frozen potatoes (I like the potatoes o’brien type- with the peppers and onion in it)
• 1 lb ground sausage (or cubed ham)
• 4-5 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ºF.
2. Pour the potatoes in the bottom of a greased 9×13 baking dish and spread evenly. Bake for about 10-15 minutes to give the potatoes a little crispness.
3. Spread the sausage (or ham) and cheese on top of the potatoes evenly.
4. In a bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt and mustard until combined. Pour over the potato mixture.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
6. Serve warm.
7. Tip: You can assemble this the night before and keep it in the fridge to bake in the morning.

What’s For Snack? Guilt-Free Cookies!

What’s this? Cookies? For snack?! You betcha! And after you see this healthy lineup of ingredients, you won’t feel bad eating them for a snack either. They are 100% {almost} guilt free! 😀 Okay, okay… so the chocolate chips aren’t entirely guilt free, but who’s telling? 🙂 Don’t forget to use the same trick with freezing bananas that we learned in our banana bread to make these a food storage friendly treat (with electricity, of course).

{Almost} Guilt-Free Cookies

Download Printable Version
Ingredients:

• 3 large, ripe bananas (roughly 1½ cups)
• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut oil, barely warm (so that it isn’t solid), or olive oil
• 1 tsp natural sweetener (i.e. Truvia (1 packet), agave, or honey)… I used Truvia
• 2 cups quick oats (or old-fashioned)
• 2/3 cup almond meal*
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut (the baking kind)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 packet Truvia (or 2 tsp sugar)
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• chocolate chips**

*You can make your own almond meal by pulsing almonds in a food processor until it is the texture of sand. ( Just don’t  overdo it, or you’ll end up with almond butter.) About 1/3 cup of almonds will get you 2/3 cup of almond meal.
**The higher the cacao percentage, the healthier the cookie will be for you. Bittersweet chocolate is about 70% cacao, which is what I used the first time I made these. But that’s a bit too much for my family’s liking. Semisweet works better for us. I didn’t have semisweet this time around though, so I used a mix of bittersweet, milk, and white. Turned out pretty good. 🙂

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F.
2. In a large bowl, mash up your bananas until there are no longer any chunks (you need them well mashed). Add the vanilla, coconut oil, and natural sweetener of your choice. Mix well and then set aside.
3. In another bowl, mix together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, Truvia (or sugar), salt, and baking powder.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. (The dough will be a bit looser than regular cookie dough, but that’s how it should be.)
5. Drop dollops of the dough (roughly 2 teaspoons in size) onto a parchment lined baking sheet. You can put them pretty close together because they won’t melt down as they bake… they will hold their form almost exactly.
6. Bake for about 12-15 minutes (as long as possible without burning the bottoms). Makes about 3 dozen bite-sized cookies. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Nikki’s Healthy Cookie Recipe

What’s For Dinner? White Chicken Chili

This delicious meal is one of those feel good dinners. It’s like comfort food… but not bad for your waistline! 😀 Fabulous! And it’s perfect for those ‘chili’ nights ahead. (Get it? Chili?!) Okay… feel free to mock me now. 🙂 Anyway, I hope you enjoy it.

Oh! And a cool new note… I’m going to start adding a printable version of these recipes so that you can easily print it off and use it in your recipe collection. Just click on the ‘Download Printable Version’ and either print it out or save it to your computer. I’ll be going back through all the recipes I’ve already got on this site and adding this option to those as well, but it may take me a little while… so be patient with me. 🙂 And now, on to the goodness!

White Chicken Chili

Download Printable Version
Ingredients:

• 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• dried onion (about 2 Tbsp, but just throw in however much you want)
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder or dried garlic
• 1 to 2 tsp cumin
• 1 quart canned chicken (drained and rinsed if you like)
• 1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can white beans (i.e. Great Northern), drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz) can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (12-15 oz) can white corn (or you can use Shopeg corn)
• 2 (4 oz) cans chopped green chilies
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1½ cups boiling water
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• a pinch of paprika

Optional Toppings:

• shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack… whatever is your favorite)
• sour cream
• salsa
• broken up tortilla chips or crunchy tortilla strips

Directions:

1. In a large pot (or crock pot, dutch oven… whatever you like to cook your soups in), heat the vegetable oil and cook the onion, garlic, and cumin.
2. When they are heated through, stir in the chicken to coat it with the seasoning. Saute for about a minute. Then add the beans, corn and chilies. Stir to blend.
3. Combine the chicken bouillon with the boiling water and stir into the chili. Add the cayenne pepper and paprika.
4. Cover and let chili cook over low heat for about 30 minutes (or until the flavors have blended), stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, as both the beans and corn have a tendency to want to stick to the bottom and burn.
5. Serve topped with any of the option toppings you prefer or have access to. Enjoy!

recipe adapted from Safely Gathered In

What’s For Dinner? Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Ever since I learned about Quinoa I’ve been looking for some good recipes that incorporate it. Really you can use Quinoa just about anywhere you would use rice or couscous. However, I wanted some recipes that really made it shine. This is a good one. It’s so light and refreshing. I’ve listed it as a dinner, but you could easily use it as a lunch and I also love to eat it just as a snack throughout the day! It doesn’t get much more healthy than this, so eat guilt-free to your heart’s content!

Southwestern Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Quinoa
• 1½ cups water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• juice from 3 limes (about 3 Tbsp)
• 2 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp chili powder
• a dash of cayenne pepper (or ground chipotle chili powder)
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp minced garlic (or 4 cloves, minced)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can whole kernel corn, drained
• salt and pepper to taste
• Grilled chicken tenders, about 2 per person (optional)

Optional Ingredients From The Garden:

• 1-2 bell peppers (any color of your choice), diced
• half a red onion
• ¼ cup cilantro

Directions:

1. In small pot, combine the quinoa, water, bouillon, and salt. Bring to a simmer and then turn heat to low and allow to cook for roughly 30 minutes (or until water is absorbed). Fluff lightly with a fork and allow to cool.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and garlic. Whisk together.
3. In another bowl, combine the black beans, corn, and any of the garden items you have available. (They’re optional because this is a shelf stable meal without them. But if you can get/grow them, they add a whole lot to the dish! So try not to omit them.)
4. After the quinoa has cooled, combine it with the black bean mixture. Pour the dressing over the top and mix it in thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
6. Optional addition: You can also add some grilled chicken to top this off beautifully. However, since quinoa is a complete protein on its own, you don’t need the chicken for protein purposes. It would only be for the sheer pleasure of your palate. 🙂 I like to add the chicken… especially if I’m serving this as the main course. 🙂 If you’re using this in a time when you’re living off your food supply, you could also just use canned chicken. Just saute it up with some grilling seasoning first. Enjoy!

What’s For Dinner? Hawaiian Haystacks!

This is a deliciously satisfying and fun dinner. Everyone can get involved in creating their own meal! And even better, there’s no limit to what you can put on these bad boys. If you’ve got it in the cupboard, there’s a good chance it may taste good on this! So don’t be a chicken, and just load these with all the great goodness you can think of. Enjoy!

Hawaiian Haystacks

Download Printable Version
Rice Ingredients:

• 1½ cups Rice
• 1 can Chicken Broth, plus 1 cup water (or 3 cups water + 2 bouillon cubes)
• A dash of Salt

Chicken Gravy Ingredients:

• 1 pint Canned Chicken
• 1 can condensed Cream of Chicken soup*
• 1 cup Chicken Broth (or 1 cup of water/milk + 1 bouillon cube)
• A dash of Garlic Powder
• A dash of freshly ground Black Pepper

Topping Options:

• Pineapple Tidbits (this is our favorite)
• Mandarin Oranges
• Shredded Cheese
• Corn
• Chopped Bell Peppers (if available, or from the garden)
• Celery (if available, or from the garden)
• Green Onions (if available, or from the garden)
• Peas (frozen or from the garden)
• Chow Mein Noodles
• Shredded Coconut
• Sunflower Seeds
• Anything else you can think of!

Directions:

1. Start by cooking your rice. Cook according to package directions, but use chicken broth instead of water and add a dash of salt.
2. While the rice is cooking, go ahead and prepare your chicken gravy. In a small pot, combine the chicken, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, garlic powder, and pepper over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low to simmer and keep warm until your rice is done.
3. Finally, prepare your toppings. Chop up any veggies that need chopping, slice up anything that needs slicing. Put them all out in little individual bowls for everyone to be able to grab at. You can use spoons if you’re the sanitary type, but we’re a ‘hands-in’ type of family. Unless, of course, we have company over. Then we bring out our manners. 🙂
4. To Serve: There’s no right or wrong way to serve these, but traditionally, you put a pile of rice on your plate, top it with the chicken gravy, and then throw on as many toppings as your little heart desires.
5. Eat and enjoy!! Serves a family of 4. (In the picture above, the chicken gravy is doubled… it was WAY more than we needed. :))

Note: If you need to increase the serving amount just double the chicken gravy recipe (with the exception of the chicken), and then increase your rice based on the following rule: 1+2=3. That is to say, 1 cup of uncooked rice + 2 cups of water = 3 cups of prepared rice. You’ll want approximately 1 to 1½ cups of prepared rice per person for this meal. So for a family of 6, you can use 2 cups of rice, plus 4 cups water/broth to equal 6 cups of prepared rice, etc.

*For a gluten-free recipe, be sure to use gluten-free cream of chicken soup. Everything else is safe (except the Chow Mein noodles in the toppings list.)

What’s For Dinner? Mexican Lasagna!

Yum-o! That pretty much sums this dinner up. It’s delicious! I’ve made it twice now, and both times it was like a mexican heaven in my mouth. 😀 Give this one a try! You won’t regret it!! But beware… it makes enough to feed an army!

Mexican Lasagna

Download Printable Version
Ingredients:

• 1½ cups unprepared rice
• 3 cups chicken broth (I use one can of broth, plus one cup of water and one chicken bouillon cube)
• 1 can seasoned tomatoes (you can use diced, stewed, whatever your favorite is), lightly drained
• 1½ Tbsp minced onion
• 2½ tsp minced garlic (or about 1 tsp of garlic powder)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 (16 oz) jar salsa, or salsa verde (I used regular salsa)
• 8-12 small flour tortillas, cut into large strips*
• 3-4 cups shredded Mexican cheese
• 8-10 oz enchilada sauce (I don’t use a full 10 oz can)
• 1 can corn, drained
• optional garnish: sour cream and cilantro

Directions:

1. Cook the rice according to directions, but use the chicken broth in place of the water. Add salt to taste.
2. In a large skillet, heat the can of tomatoes with the onion and garlic over medium heat. Add about half of the taco seasoning packet and stir to combine.
3. Add the can of beans. Stir to combine, then transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and add the cooked rice. Stir to mix well.
4. In the now empty skillet, brown the ground beef. Add the other half of the taco packet along with ¼ cup of water to create the taco beef.
5. To assemble the lasagna:

• Pour about half the jar of salsa in an even layer over the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish.
• Layer evenly with the tortilla strips to cover the salsa.
• Spread approximately half of the rice mixture evenly over the tortillas.
• Sprinkle with a layer of the shredded cheese (be fairly generous).
• Add another layer of tortilla strips.
• Pour a thin layer of enchilada sauce over the tortillas.
• Spread the taco beef evenly over the enchilada sauce.
• Layer the corn on top of the beef.
• Top with the remaining rice mixture in an even layer.
• Spread the remaining salsa evenly over the rice, and sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese to finish.

Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit. Allow to sit several minutes before serving. Top individual servings with sour cream and fresh cilantro, if desired and available. 🙂

Enjoy!

*For a gluten-free version, try corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. But be sure to check your enchilada sauce ingredients as well, since some brands include ingredients that are not gluten-free friendly. (Or you could even skip the enchilada sauce altogether.)

Adapted from Annie’s Eats

What’s For Snack? Healthy Green Smoothies!

Alright… I’m fudging a little bit on this one. I don’t make this from ‘food storage’ items because I try to use completely fresh for these ingredients. BUT, each of these ingredients could be stored in your freezer, or you could grow some of it in your garden, so you could make it from food storage… so I say it still counts. 🙂 But the main reason I want to share this recipe with you is because it is a delicious way to get TONS of healthy vitamins and nutrients into your diet… and your kids’ as well! My kids actually request this smoothie… green and all! We just made the fact that it’s green part of the fun. Lately we’ve been having it just about every day. And it’s so simple to make! You’re gonna love it! And seriously… these really are good. I’m not the kind of person to just blend something and drink it just because it’s healthy. So for all you skeptics out there who I know are going to turn up your nose the minute you see ‘spinach’ on the ingredient list, try it at least once! You’ll never taste a more delicious way to sneak vegetables into your daily diet. 🙂

Healthy Green Smoothies

Ingredients:

• 1½ to 2 ripe bananas (the more ripe, the sweeter this will be)
• 1 to 1½ cups of fresh pineapple chunks (you can use frozen, or even canned as well)
• 2 to 3 cups fresh spinach (I use baby spinach leaves)
• water to preference (however thick or thin you want it), but 1½ cups is probably a good estimate.
• ice* (about 6 cubes)

Directions:
-Add all the ingredients to your blender and mix until smooth! It’s that easy!
-Makes  2-4 smoothies, depending on the size of your serving.

*Tip: Be sure that if you’re using fresh ingredients you add the ice. One of the keys to making this enjoyable is to make sure it is nice and cold. A warm smoothie just doesn’t cut it. 🙂 But if you’re using frozen ingredients you can do without the ice.

Photo courtesy of cari-fit.com

What’s For Dinner? Coconut Curry Chicken!

This is a relatively new recipe I came across that I thoroughly enjoy. I tweaked the original recipe to make it completely shelf stable and it’s now a permanent part of my food storage repertoire. Hope you enjoy it! 😀

Coconut Curry Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 quart canned chicken
• 1-2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp Chinese 5-Spice powder
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
• 1 (4 oz) can green chilies, drained
• 1 (15 oz) can mixed vegetables with potatoes, drained
• 1 (8 oz) can bamboo shoots, drained
• 1/2 cup coconut milk*
• 1 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cornstarch, plus 1/4 cup water

Directions:
(*Tip: Use whatever coconut milk is left in the can to make coconut rice to serve with this dish. Recipe follows.)
-Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, place your canned chicken in a colander and give it a rinse (this helps get rid of the ‘canned’ scent and flavor).
-Place the chicken in the oil, sprinkle the Chinese 5-Spice powder on it, and then lightly saute for about 1-2 minutes.
-Add in the ginger powder, dried onion, and green chilies. Saute for about another 2 minutes.
-Stir in the canned veggies, bamboo shoots, coconut milk, curry powder, salt, and water.
-Mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Add it to the skillet while stirring and then mix it in thoroughly with the other ingredients.
-Simmer for about 10 minutes.
-Serve over coconut rice and with soy sauce for those who would like it. (Hubby likes to add the soy sauce. I like it the way it is.) 😉
-Makes 6-8 servings.
(Adapted from Goof Proof Coconut Curry Chicken on Allrecipes.com)

Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white rice (jasmine rice if you’ve got it, otherwise just plain long-grain will do)
• 3 1/2 cups liquid (ideally, 2 cups coconut milk and 1 1/2 cups water. But just use whatever coconut milk is left from the recipe above and water for the remaining liquid amount)
• 3/4 cup dry, shredded unsweetened coconut (the baking kind)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1-2 Tbsp toasted coconut for garnish (optional)

Directions:
I just stick it all in the rice cooker (minus the toasted coconut), give it a quick stir, and let it go! But here are the original directions (particularly useful if there is no electricity :))…
-Place rice, coconut milk, water, shredded coconut, sugar and salt in a pot and set over medium-high heat.
-Stir until liquid comes to a gentle boil (stirring will keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning).
-Once the coconut-water has begun to gently bubble, stop stirring and reduce heat to low (just above minimum). Cover tightly with a lid and let simmer about 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice (to check, pull rice aside with a fork to see down to the bottom of the pot).
-When the liquid is gone, turn off the heat, but leave the covered pot on the burner to steam another 5-10 minutes, or until you’re ready to eat.
-When ready to serve, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork or chopsticks. Taste-test the rice for salt and sugar, adding a little more if needed. Top with a sprinkling of toasted coconut, and ENJOY!
-To Toast Coconut: Place 1 Tbsp. dry shredded coconut in a frying pan over medium-high heat and stir (“dry fry”) until light golden brown.
(Adapted from Asian Coconut Rice at EntertainingRecipes.org)

What’s For Dinner? Broccoli Curry Chicken Casserole

Alright, my apologies in advance that I did not get a picture of this meal when I made it last night. I’m having to admit to myself that I may have several meal posts with no pictures because I just frequently forget to take pictures of my food. 🙂 That, plus I’ve never been a big picture taker in the first place AND hubby usually has the camera at work anyway. SO. Please forgive me. But just know that I will never post a meal that I have not tried and do not thoroughly enjoy.
That being said, this is one of our family’s FAVORITES (particularly hubby): Broccoli Curry Chicken Casserole. It’s delicious! The recipe is handed down from my mom, but I’ve tweaked it just a tad to make it slightly more delicious and nutritious.

Here’s a picture I shamelessly stole borrowed off of Google that looks similar in concept. Just imagine a lot of yummy sauce and gooey cheese melted on top…

Broccoli Curry Chicken Casserole

Download Printable Version
Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice, cooked according to pkg directions
• 1 (16 oz) pkg frozen broccoli florets, thawed (or about 1 head fresh broccoli)
• 1 quart canned chicken (or meat from 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up into small chunks)
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (*for gluten-free options, see endnote)
• 1 cup mayonnaise* (not Miracle Whip… it has a totally different taste)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp curry, plus extra for sprinkling
• Bread crumbs*
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Layer cooked rice on the bottom of a 13 x 9 casserole dish. Then layer the broccoli (I usually pop the broccoli in the microwave for about 2 minutes first to get them warmed up). Arrange cooked chicken pieces on top.
2. Mix the condensed soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp curry in a small mixing bowl. Spread evenly on top of chicken. Sprinkle the top with a light dusting of extra curry, bread crumbs, and then cheddar cheese. (If you have green onions on hand, you could also slice those up and sprinkle them on top for a tasty addition.)
3. Bake at 350 °F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.
4. Serves about 6 people.

This recipe requires electricity for the broccoli and cheese (and chicken as well for those of you who have yet to discover the JOYS of homemade canned chicken!), but I think I’m going to start seeing if I can tweak it to find a good shelf-stable version as well. I’ll keep you posted. 🙂

*Gluten-Free Notes:
-Here is a gluten-free recipe for condensed cream of chicken soup that I came across on recipezaar.com. It’s a little extra work, but worth the effort! Also, in this dish, since you already have a lot of chicken in the recipe, you can omit the chicken called for in the condensed soup recipe.
-And here’s a link to a whole list of gluten-free ‘Cream of ____’ soups, including the ‘condensed’ version at the bottom. Click HERE.
-I have learned that Hellman’s Mayonnaise (which I believe is also Best Foods in other parts of the country)  is gluten-free, so you can use that or make a homemade version if you’re feeling ambitious!
-Just omit the bread crumbs. It won’t make much of a difference.
Hope this helps!

What’s For Snack? Homemade Granola Bars!

Homemade granola bars are one of the BEST discoveries I’ve made in the past year or so. They are less expensive than their store-bought counterparts, more healthy (or at least you can make them as healthy/unhealthy as you so choose), and a heck of a lot more tasty!
Back when I was on the hunt for a delicious, nutritious, homemade granola bar recipe I came across a lot that still had all the ‘un-nutritious’ ingredients I was trying to avoid. And then I finally came across THIS recipe, and after reading through some of the rave comments for them, I decided these had to be worth a shot. And seriously! They’re so good! They’re way better than what you buy in the store, cheaper, a lot more healthy, AND I can have them in my food storage! Is there a down side to this?! …other than that now I will be having to make my granola bars instead of spending two seconds to throw them in my grocery cart? 🙂 But actually, that’s half the fun too! And really it is, because this recipe is so versatile that you can customize it to be pretty much anything you want!
Well, after tweaking this way and that, here is my grand finale granola bar recipe:

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 cups old fashioned oats (not the quick oats)
• 3/4 cup wheat germ/milled flax seed combo*
• 3/4 cup coconut
• 1 cup finely chopped nuts (I use about half and half of walnuts and pecans)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup agave nectar (you can use honey instead, but it has a much stronger flavor. I definitely prefer the agave.)
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (if you have nut allergies, you can use 4 Tbsp butter instead, but that makes it no longer shelf-stable)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 3/4 cup dried fruit (I generally use Craisins, but it’s fun to try dried blueberries, dried cherries, etc as well)

(*for the wheat germ and milled flax seed, I just take a 3/4 measuring cup, fill it half way with wheat germ and the rest of the way with milled flax seed. You could also do all wheat germ or all flax seed (especially if you need this to be gluten-free. The wheat germ is the only gluten item in this recipe, so just omit it). Also be sure to use milled flax seed and not the whole flax seeds. I have learned that your body cannot actually break down the shell of a whole flax seed, thereby rendering its healthy attributes useless to you unless the shell has already been cracked in some way. So whether you mill it by hand or buy it milled, just be sure you’re not leaving them whole.)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Mix the oats, nuts, flax seed, wheat germ, and coconut on a baking dish (with sides) and toast them in the oven for about 12 minutes, stirring about half way through so that they don’t get burned.
3. While they’re toasting, get a 9×13 glass baking dish and line it with parchment paper (you can use wax paper with a nonstick spray if you don’t have parchment, but be aware that you may end up having to pick wax paper out of your granola bars! -don’t say I didn’t warn you!)
4. Put the brown sugar, honey, butter, vanilla, and salt into a saucepan, then turn the heat on to about medium-high and bring it to a simmer, stirring constantly.
5. Once it comes to a simmer and the top is covered with bubbles, remove it from heat (you don’t want it to boil for more than about 30 seconds, otherwise you’ll end up with crunchy granola bars). And your grain/nut mixture should be done now too, so take it out of the oven (and you can turn the oven off too… we’re done using it).
6. Throw the toasted mixture into a large bowl and pour the melted mixture on top, along with your dried fruit. And mix, mix, mix.
7. Mix some more. 🙂 You want to make sure that everything gets coated with the “gluey” syrup.
8. Dump your granola mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread it out as evenly as possible.
9. Using another piece of parchment (or wax paper, but again, watch out for sticking), press down HARD all over the top of the granola. You want to compact it together so the bars won’t fall apart when you cut them.
10. Wait 2-3 hours, or until the granola has completely cooled.
11. Turn the granola onto a large cutting board and peel away what is now the top layer of parchment paper.
12. Cut the granola into bars by firmly pressing down with a big cutting knife (not sawing). You can make the bars whatever size you like, but if you make them the general “granola bar” size, you should be able to get 18-22 bars out of this.
13. Finally, you can either wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap** so they’re ready to grab and go, or you can just store them in an airtight container (with a piece of parchment placed between any layers).

Ta-da! Homemade granola bars. Enjoy! They’re tasty! 🙂

**P.S. If you want the convenience of ‘grab and go’ but don’t want to waste all the plastic wrap (not to mention the time it takes to wrap each one!), try sticking the bars in the little ‘snack-size’ plastic baggies and then just save them to reuse for the next batch of granola bars. And again, enjoy and have fun!! 🙂

Tips & Tricks
1) Make sure your nuts are finely ground. I put mine in a food processor and get them down to tiny chunks (half of it almost ends up in a powder). Large chunks of nuts will make your granola bars more apt to fall apart.

2) In step #4, turning the heat on after the ingredients are all in the pan is a trick I developed to help keep the sugar from cooking longer than the rest of the ingredients–which would turn the granola bars a bit more crunchy and crumbly.

3) Press down HARD once you’ve got the whole mixture spread out in the pan. I usually press for several minutes to make sure it is completely compacted together.

4) Make preparation time a snap! When you make a batch, make extra batches of the dry ingredients (the ingredients that get toasted) and just put them in a ziplock bag and store in the freezer. Then, the next time you go to make some granola bars, just grab the bag out of the freezer, let it come to room temperature and then continue on as usual with the directions. (And you can just save the bags and reuse them to stock up again when you’re all out of the mixes.) 🙂