Quick & Easy Granola Bars

I cook mostly from scratch to avoid preservatives and know what is in the food we're eating.  Thankfully, I enjoy time in the kitchen!  I was just sharing this recipe with a friend and thought you might like it, too.  These are a fast, easy alternative to store-bought granola bars.  They can be crunchy or chewy depending on how long you bake them.  Change the flavor by trying different dried fruits or chocoalte chips.  Also amazing with 1 c. peanut butter added!  These keep well in a sealed container.

Here’s my recipe for Easy Granola Bars. I started with the Playgroup Granola Bars recipe, with a few changes to suit our family. Here’s the original Playgroup Granola Bars: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Playgroup-Granola-Bars/. 

Double Batch Easy Granola Bars

5 c. oats

1 c. brown sugar
1 c. ground flax seed (or wheat germ)
2 tsp cinnamon
2 c. flour (white or wheat)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 c. raisins (or other dried fruit or chocolate chips)
1 c. oil
1 c. honey
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
(1 cup peanut butter is great to add if using chocolate chips!)

1. Preheat oven to 350’. Generously grease a 10 x 15 jelly roll pan.

2. In large bowl, mix together dry ingredients and raisins. Stir in oil, honey, eggs & vanilla. Mix well. Pat evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake until bars turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Chewy bars: bake 20-25 minutes (convection 350 x 20 min is our family favorite)

Crunchy bars: bake 30-35 minutes

Enjoy!

Slowing Down

Mama's life is going through a transition again...After enjoying the last 1 1/2 years as a SAHM with my youngest daughter, I'm heading back to work.  Circumstances have changed here and it's necessary that I start working again.  I'm having mixed feelings about this.  I love being at home with my big baby girl and love working as a registered nurse.  I just don't like that it feels forced upon me.  Long story short, our renters aren't paying their rent and we just can't keep paying 2 mortgages on 1 teacher's salary.  It's a risk we took - building a 2nd home before the 1st one sold - and unfortunately the stakes have turned against us. 

As I transition back to a working mom, my sewing and blogging will suffer for awhile.  After a month or so, I'll only be working part-time and hope to be back to my usual hobbies again.  Please stick with me through this transition.  If you're a believer, I'd appreciate your prayers for our family to adjust quickly. 

Also stay tuned for a fantastic pattern review coming soon.  I hope you are following The Sewing Dork and Brown Paper Packages Pattern Review Month.  I will be contributing a reveiw of SisBoom's Patricia Tunic.  This was a great, versatile pattern that I can't wait to share with you! 

In addition to heading back to work, my computer was infected with the Antivirus Virus again.  This is the 2nd time with this virus and we cannot get it completely removed.  It redirects to a fake Antivirus.NET page and takes over the computer processes. It came from an infected PDF pattern download, so I'm going to be very leery of downloads in the future.  I have a new computer coming this week, but until it comes later this week you probably won't hear from me. 

Thanks for reading through this personal post.  I usually save this stuff for our family blog, Lusco Land, but am glad you're here with me :) Angie

Mama's Virtual Yard Sale and Snow!

I'm cleaning house before the Christmas presents come!  Check out my Flickr set for items I have for sale: Oodles of toddler girl boots
Big boy sweater & jeans
Baby ring slings
Dahlia Flower Earrings
Neck Warmers...and more!

While I'm cleaning, the kiddos are enjoying our first snow of the season.  Wishing all my readers and friends a happy Thanksgiving holiday.  We are so blessed!

Who's The Man?

I am! I've been quite a handy-woman this week. We are in our 4th home and I had never helped paint outside before this week, thanks to my very handy husband. We've been working slowly at finishing a new utility/sewing room. The exterior was ready to finish, so that's been my secret project this week. I've caulked, primed and finished painting outside! It's been fun to watch my family's reaction as they come home and notice what's been done while they've been at school & work. This weekend, we hope to finish the tape & texture and get the cabinets and closet in.

I've also been busy with my garden. So far, I've canned green beans, carrots, pickled beets & dill pickles and frozen corn and peas. Everything is late this year, so I'll have more canning to come.

I'm hoping to squeeze in more sewing soon.  Mally needs another jacket and pants. She's growing up so fast!

Here's The Loot

The family came home with ribbons galore and a little cash from our county fair entries.  This was our first time ever entering the fair and it was a learning experience.  Next year will be even better!

Here is a picture of Drew wearing his Simplicity shorts on the first day of school.  I may never learn to sew a fly as slick as the faux fly works!

T-Shirt Refashions

This was Andy's first week back to school and football doubles week, so things have been hectic around here!  It's also fair week and our kids are in two fair parades.  The Kids' Parade is tomorrow and our church is getting a group together to walk in the parade.  I rounded up t-shirts from our community work day last spring and used the Lil Blue Boo Hoodie pattern to refashion the adult t's into kid sizes.

While I had my ball-point needles in the serger & machine, I also refashioned some of Andy's football shirts into shirts for the girls and I.  For mine, I used another t-shirt as a pattern for tracing.  Remember my first tutorial?  It was a Too-Big to Ladies-Fit T-shirt refashion; check it out if you need inspiration.  For Mally's, I used LBB's Sienna Dress pattern - another favorite.  They turned out great!

Another project I'm working on is shorts for Drew.  He gets left out of my sewing and is in need of new shorts after gaining 10 lbs this summer!  I'm using Simplicity 4760  only cheated and made a faux fly instead of a zipper.  The test pair fit well so I need to make some in denim now.  I referenced from my Sewing Clothes Kids Love book for the how-to and had bookmarked this tutorial also.  I still haven't sewn a zippered fly and was too frazzled to try it now.  The faux fly was a great alternative.

Abby, Drew and I all entered the County Fair this year.  I had several clothing creations, a family garden vegetable collection and some canned goods.  Abby made bar cookies and drew a family portrait.  Drew chose to enter a Lego creation.  We're headed to the fair after the parade tomorrow and are anxious to see if we won ribbons :)

Off to Meet Clay

I'm off for another week in Idaho with family.  On the way, I get to meet my long-time favorite country singer, Clay Walker!  As a member of his fan club, I applied for a Meet & Greet pass for the Caldwell, ID concert and was chosen.  I'll be swooning this evening then enjoying a week of working on MIL's home addition and then some camping & fishing.  Have fun...I know I will!  Isn't he beautiful? :)

Summer Vacation

I haven't been crafting lately. I miss it a little, but am really enjoying our summer vacation. Here is a sneak peek of the fun things I've been doing and seeing!