We are back from our trip to Chicago. In my last post I stated that we were going to visit our daughter Krista in Chicago over the weekend. We had a great time with her and I loved seeing her. We also visited some of Mike's family while we were there. Mike's sister lives in the suburbs and it is always a good time when we get together with her and her family. Plus Mike's younger sister from Tampa was in Chicago, so we got to see all kinds of family. It was almost like a family reunion. My only complaint I have for the weekend in Chicago was that it went way too fast.
I brought Krista the apple streusel muffins from my last post, but I did want to bring something to go along with the muffins. I did not make that many muffins and I wanted to make sure that she had other things to eat also. It must be the mom in me; I am always worried that someone will go hungry. Krista is quite a healthy eater, so I wanted to make something healthy, but something that she would enjoy too.
While paging through my recipe book, Joy Of Cooking I found a recipe for energy bars. To me they sounded perfect for a nice breakfast. I have made homemade granola years ago and this was somewhat like that granola. Oats, nuts, and raisins made these energy bars a little healthier and tasty. The recipe called for all-purpose flour, but I used mostly whole wheat flour to go with the healthy theme. I could not resist trying a sample when they were done baking. I loved the taste of these bars, they were a little crumbly, but I did not find that as a problem. Looking for a healthy treat? I would suggest these yummy energy bars.
Energy Bars (Adapted from Joy Of Cooking)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking pan lined with foil.
Combine in a medium bowl
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup old-fashioned roll oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups pecans chopped
1/4 cups almonds chopped
1/4 cups sun flower seeds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Add and stir until well blended:
1/2 cup salted butter, melted
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Press the mixture into the pan. Bake until top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack. Lift the foil out of the pan and cut the bars into desired sizes.
Yum! These look perfect for my mid morning office munchies hehe.
ReplyDeleteThese are what I would like when I'm hit by sudden hunger pangs!
ReplyDeleteI always buy these for snacks, but never thought of making them. Looks easy enough!
ReplyDeleteYummy and healthy? Double bonus! I'm glad you enjoy Chicago, too. I grew up in the burbs and loved it when I worked downtown. It's a great place to play tourist!
ReplyDeleteThese look delicious, and I just bought a bag of craisins..now I have a plan :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had a wonderful visit with your family. Sometimes seeing loved ones can be just like food for your soul :)
These are perfect for snacks!
ReplyDeleteDelicious! I like pecans and peanut butter, together with those lovely seeds - Yum!
ReplyDeletemy hubby would love these, so many ingredients. how exciting - chicago!
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling these would be gobbled right up in my house.
ReplyDeleteOne of the interesting things about The Joy of Cooking is how it's evolved over the years. When it was first published energy bars didn't exist, now they include them! I keep several editions of the cookbook around, because they have dropped some of my favorite recipes over the years. Anyway, great recipe! I've never made my own energy bars - I should give it a try.
ReplyDeleteI like all the great ingredients you've packed into these bars! They look yummy!
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