Last week we received news that Jason had been accepted into Marquette's MBA program..and that he starts on Tuesday!! We are both really excited for this next step in our lives! Jason has worked so hard to get this far and I know that he is going to do very well. It's such a blessing to have him going to a great and well known school as well. God has truly blessed us!
To celebrate Jason's first day, I made him one of his favorite snacks: my homemade granola bars! I think I may have posted this on here before but it is so good that it bears repeating. I got the original recipe from here but the one I've posted below has my own personal "tweaks."
2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 c. flax seed, milled
3/4 c. shelled sunflower seeds
1 c. chopped nuts (I usually use peanuts)
1 c. shredded coconut
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. brown sugar or your favorite natural sweetener
1/2 c. honey
2 tsp. molasses
4 T. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
4 T. peanut butter
1 c. dried, chopped fruit (I used dried cherries today, blueberries and cranberries are also really yummy!)
1. mix first 7 ingredients together and place on a rimmed baking sheet. toast in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes, stirring several times during cooking. let cool at least 15 minutes.
2. bring next 4 ingredients to a simmer, stirring continuously. stir in the vanilla and peanut butter and cool for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. put the toasted ingredients and dried fruit in a large bowl and pour the liquid ingredients over it. mix very well.
4. place wax paper in the rimmed baking sheet, then place the granola bar mixture in the pan. put another sheet of wax paper on top of the mixture and press down. roll with a rolling pin to make it very tight, smooth, and even.
5. let set for at least 2-3 (I usually let them sit for around 4 and they are much easier to cut) hours and cut into desired bar size. makes about 20-24 bars. package in snack size bags or an airtight container. We usually put our's in snack size bags and store them in the freezer so that Jason can take them with him to work. He loooves these and I feel good about giving him a healthy and filling snack!
Enjoy!
P.S. Sorry about the lame look of my page right now. I'm in the middle of switching things around and can't seem to figure out something I like. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!!
Good luck Jason! (Also, I love Ray Lamontagne!)
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