Make It: Granola Bars

As usual, I'm always trying to figure out ways to eliminate the amount of trash we send to the landfill.  I find that-- with 3 kids-- a lot of our waste is in the form of individual "snack" wrappers.

Recently, I've been on a kick about granola bars.  I love them... my kids love them... they're a fast and an easily portable snack.  BUT... what makes them so easily portable... is the fact that they are individually wrapped. :(  SO.. in an effort to curb the wrappers... I started buying (and making) granola instead of granola bars.  Loose granola is great... but has one problem-- it's not car friendly.  Unless I want my floor boards and all the crevices in my car to have a layer of granola.... I leave the granola at home. ;)  SO, much to the dismay of my 3 kids... I haven't been buying granola bars... unless, of course, we're going on a road trip.  And, sure, I've also tried my hand at making some... which I haven't had the best of luck.  Most are too healthy tasting... too boring... too not what my kids (or I) want to eat... UNTIL... I came across a  Chewy Chocolate Granola Bar recipe from Happy Vegan Yogini!! ***

After holding on to the recipe for awhile now... today, I finally made them!!  Let me be probably one of many to say... that these granola bars are amazing!!  They're chocolatey... they're chewy... they are everything I've always wanted in a homemade granola bar.  I should also mention that my husband and kids have devoured half of the batch in less than 24 hours!!  Forget the store bought bars that are loaded with unpronounceable ingredients... lose the packaging and MAKE something that you know every ingredient... is actually good for you (don't ask me to define good) BUT tastes SO bad for you.

I'm envisioning so many different versions of this granola bar.  Thoughts that immediately come to mind are coconut and banana chips.  MMMM...



***I followed the directions to a "T".  Except, I didn't use the wax paper.  I just used the back side of a metal spatula and pressed until even.  Cooled to room temperature, then cut into individual bars which I have stored in a big glass jar.  Since I'm all about reducing waste... I don't think it's necessary to individually wrap each bar.  

Box-Free Cake

Last Wednesday, for my daughters class, I made 36 chocolate cupcakes with ganache for the frosting. They were so moist, rich and beyond chocolatey.  So it got me thinking about cake mixes.

It's been 5 years since I last bought a box of cake mix.  I originally made the decision to stop buying cake mixes because of the trans-fats, but now that I've had years without "boxed" flavor... I honestly can't eat it because it never really tastes like the 'real' thing.  And quite frankly, if I'm gonna eat a piece of cake... I want to be in LOVE with it.  It better be amazing or I won't waste my taste buds time ;)  So--it could be said--as a side benefit to only eating the BEST version of cakes (or any other baked goods for that matter) is that the prepackaged ones no longer taste good.

I'm not much for reciting numbers and facts...some things are just OBVIOUS. 

Here's what I put in my chocolate (cup)cakes:

Unbleached Organic Flour, Cocoa Powder, Organic Butter, Local Buttermilk, Free-Range Organic Eggs, Sugar, Brown Sugar, Organic Sour Cream, Fair-Trade Organic Brewed Coffee, Pure Organic Vanilla, Kosher Salt

And the ganache frosting:

Chocolate chips, Organic Heavy Cream

For comparison.... just look what's in a name-brand box of devils food cake mix:

Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Propylene Glycol Mono- and Diesters Of Fats, Mono and Diglycerides), Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali, Dextrose, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate). Contains 2% Or Less Of: Modified Food Starch, Wheat Starch, Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Salt, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Cellulose Gum, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Artificial Flavors. 

And frosting:

Sugar, Water, Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oils, Mono- and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60), Cocoa Powder Processed with Alkali, Corn Syrup. Contains 2% Or Less Of: Corn Starch, Salt, Invert Sugar, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Carmelized Sugar (Sugar, Water), Caramel Color, Acetic Acid, Preservatives (Potassium Sorbate), Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate. 

Seriously, cake doesn't need ALL of that stuff in it to taste good.  Boxed cake mixes, along with a long list of other convenience products are engineered to sit on a shelf.  Not to mention all of the ingredients (listed in yellow) that are made from corn, which is most likely genetically engineered corn.  For me, the word engineered doesn't and shouldn't have anything to do with food.  But, if you like or need facts... do a little research or just watch Food Inc.


Wanna make a box-free chocolate cake??  Here's one recipe that I use:

Chocolate Cupcakes