Peanut Butter Honey Granola

I am a sucker for granola.  I am a sucker for ANYTHING that has to do with peanut butter and honey together.  This granola was a perfect match. :)

Here is what you need.

1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 Cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Cups oats

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1) Combine peanut butter and honey in a bowl.  Then microwave it 20 seconds.  Stir and then add cinnamon and vanilla.  Add in the coats.  Stir/toss until the oats are coated with the peanut butter and honey mixture.

2) Bake 10 minutes.

 

Enjoy!

 

Note: I personally will add a bit more vanilla and cinnamon to this...It goes back to me being a spice loving person.  However, I took this with me on my relay race, and all my team mates liked it as it was.  Go with your taste buds :)

No Bake Energy Bites

Basically, these are a "granola" ball. I was leery of them when I came across the recipe, but I really liked them. I usually ate one either right after a run when I would be hungry or mid-afternoon when the "snackies" started to bother me. I am not sure if they gave me more "energy" but they were definitely more filling than most snacks I would normally reach for, so that is a bonus for me...and of course the other "approval" test is whether RJ likes them, which he did!

Super easy and fast:
1 Cup oats
1 Cup coconut
1/2 Cup chocolate chips
1/2 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup ground flax seed
1/3 Cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

1) Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes.
2) Roll into whatever size ball you want (mine were about golf ball size). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a bout a week.

Granola

This granola recipe is another from Pinterest (Have I mentioned how much I love getting recipes from Pinterest?). I absolutely LOVED this granola, and so did my 3 year old. It is a "crunchy" granola, but it has really really great flavors and there are so many possibilities for add-ins with fruit or whatever.

Here is what you need:
3 1/4 cups Oats
1 1/4 Cup wheat flour
1 1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup flax seed
1 Cup or more chopped almonds and/or pecans
1 Cup brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/3 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamon

1) Preheat oven to 300. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, flax seed, coconut, and nuts. Set aside.
2) In a saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter, and water and heat until it is bubbly. Stir the mixture until it is smooth and then stir in salt, vanilla, and other spices. Mix Well.
3) Pour mixture over the oat mixture and stir it well until everything is well coated. Let stand 5-10 minutes (I didn't do that)
4) Spread mixture onto a large cookie sheet, separating larger clumps. Put into the oven and bake 15 minutes. Remove and stir it, breaking up larger clumps again. Return to oven and bake again for 15 minutes. Then stir it. Bake another 15 minutes or until granola is uniformly golden brown and dry. (Total bake time appx 45 minutes)
5) Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

**Enjoy as snacks or breakfast. Serve with your favorite fruit or yogurt.**

Pumpkin Pie Granola

This granola is super yummy and super soft (chewy) at least as of now...it is only Day 1 of making it. I am sure it will "harden" as the days go on. Seriously though, can you go wrong with something called Pumpkin Pie Granola? Not to mention that you can add in the white chocolate chips? Yum!

Here is what you need:

4 Cups Oats (I used Old Fashioned)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or other spices that "add" up to pumpkin pie spice)
3/4 Cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 Cup pumpkin
1/2 Cup applesauce
3 Tbsp Mable Syrup (I actually had the maple, so I used it. I don't know if substituting in regular syrup would work or not)
1/2 Cup white chocolate chips (optional)
1/2 cup teddy grahams (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 325. Line cookie sheet with foil and spray it down. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl and wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. Once they are mixed, add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until everything is well-coated.
2) Pour onto the cookie sheet and spread out the best you can (it is very moist). Bake for 20 minutes. Take out and stir and break up large clumps if needed. Bake another 20 minutes. Take out.
3) Let cool completely and then mix in the white chocolate chips (I am sure regular would work too) and teddy grahams if you choose. Store in an air tight container for a week.

*Suggested serving size: 1/2 Cup for 150 calories

I used the white chocolate chips (YUM!) but I did not use the teddy grahams. Also, when I make it again, I will definitely add more cinnamon, but I am cinnamon kind of gal.

Enjoy!

PS...this is curteous of Pinterest...again....