Taking Advantage Of Our "Fay Day"....

Since Tropical Storm Fay took over the plans for today, we are home all day & I thought I'd take advantage of this extra day to stock up on homemade goodies! So I made gluten-free whole grain pancakes for breakfast - even Don was home today for them! Then I made a batch of whole grain chocolate chip-millet-banana bread. A batch of flax-bran muffins w/ grated carrots & grated apples. Last, but not least, I made a batch of gluten-free granola bars! We are all set for snacks & little treats for lunch boxes! I had already made a batch of granola bars & banana bread early in the weekend but this just stocks us up even more!

I thought I'd share the recipe for the Homemade Granola Bars b/c if anyone buys them for their kids...well you might consider making them. Hubby said they don't taste overwhelmingly nut buttery even though they contain it. He's not a nut butter fan. They are MUCH more nutritious than store bought, they do not take much time to make & you can control everything that goes in them (no preservatives, no added garbage). So here it is, I took this recipe from Gluten Free Gobsmacked:

Ingredients:
1/2 cp honey or agave (I only use agave anymore - agave is sweeter than honey so you can use less also)
1/4 cp brown sugar (or you can substitute agave or another sweetener you like)
1/2 cp nut/seed butter (we use unsweetened sunflower butter but you can use almond butter, soy nut butter, peanut butter, you name it)
1 tsp vanilla
2 cp granola base (see below for options*)
1 cp dried fruit (see below for options*)
2 cp nuts/seeds (see below for options*)
You can also add just about anything you want - chocolate/carob chips, unsweetened coconut, m&m's (if you want that sort of thing!), protein powder, ANY cereal, YOU NAME IT!

*Options:
Granola base can be any of following:
old fashioned rolled oats - toasted first
whole grain cereal - we use Ewehron gluten-free Twice Rice which is toasted rice cereal...reminiscent of rice crispies. But you can use a Kashi cereal, flaked, crunchy, you name it.
1.5 cp oats or cereal and .5 cp unsweetened coconut flakes/shreds

Dried fruit can be any of the following: (we prefer unsulferated dried fruits..no added sulpher means they'll look darker in color & no added nitrates, but you don't have to use that kind)
raisins
apricots
dried cherries
dried blueberries
dates
figs
prunes

Nut/Seed mix can be any of the following: (all must be out of shell obviously)
you will toast the seeds/nuts first
green raw pumpkin seeds
raw sunflower seeds
raw sesame seeds
walnuts
almonds
flax seeds
pine nuts


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400'F. Toast seeds/nuts and oats (if using). Turn oven down to 350'F.

Combine honey & brown sugar (or their substitutes) in a small saucepan. Heat, while stirring, until the brown sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a simmer and simmer for 1-2 minutes until evenly foamy/bubbly on top. Remove from the heat. Add one teaspoon vanilla extract. Stir (it will steam a bit). Add nut/seed butter and stir briskly until lumps are gone and the consistency is uniform. If you really don't want to use nut/seed butter you could try butter or ghee to form the "glue".

In large bowl, combine granola base and toasted nuts/seeds and pour hot liquid mixture in and mix well. Add dried fruit and mix well.

Set up 9 x 11 pan either well buttered/greased/sprayed or with parchment paper covering the bottom and hanging over sides.

Pour mix into the pan and spread out. Press down firmly - you can use spatula sprayed with nonstick spray or your hands on top of wax paper, etc. But pressing down is key.

Bake at 350'F for 20 minutes. Cool well before cutting. Cut into bars or squares - your preference. It is best to store them in individual snack size baggies or in a sealed tupperware separated by parchment/wax paper. Either way store them in the fridge or on counter...haven't tried freezing yet but that's probably an option too!