Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

Money Saving Mom

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ½ cups Rice Krispies (if you want to make these healthier, you can use plain puffed rice cereal)
• 1 ¾ cups quick oats (regular rolled oats work too)
• ¼ cup wheat germ (or ground flax seed, wheat bran, or additional oats)
• ½ cup additional mix-in ingredients, optional (i.e. shredded coconut, chopped nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, sesame or sunflower seeds, etc.)
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup brown sugar (or sucanat)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine first 4 dry ingredients in a bowl.
• In a saucepan, mix the honey, brown sugar and salt. Over medium-low heat, stir until the mixture comes to a complete boil for 30-60 seconds.
• Remove from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.
• Let cool for 15-20 minutes before mixing in the chocolate chips.
• Press into a greased 9×13 pan and let cool before cutting into bars.

These freeze well!!

Mommy made these for the first time tonight and they were so good!  I used wheat germ and raw sunflower seeds as my options.  Man, they are good!  I can't wait for you children to try them (they weren't finished before you headed to bed).  Daniel came in and said, "You aren't eating all those tonight are you?  Oh, no, it's 10:00 and you couldn't eat a whole pan by yourself tonight!".  You are right, Buddy.  Don't worry.  I'll save some for you!

Love Always,

Mommy

Energy Bites

Donna Bixby shared this recipe

1/2 C peanut butter
1/3 C honey
1 C. toasted oats
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C mini choc chips
1 C wheat germ

Toast oats at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Combine peanut butter, honey, and vanilla.  Stir in oats and wheat germ.  Add mini chocolate chips.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Remove from fridge and scoop into balls.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

September 6, 2012
These are a yummy snack.  You children really enjoy this treat.  Mommy would rather you eat these than cookies and you guys like them very much!  Super easy to grab and snack on.

Jason's Salsa

2 cans (28 oz. total) diced tomatoes, drained well
½ onion
1 clove garlic, minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cilantro leaves
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp parsley
2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed
1 TB lemon juice
1 TB lime juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend to desired consistency.

Note to Team Southerland- Do not allow a person with a cold to make this with free access to several jalapeno's.  Daddy did that to us in Virginia once.  Mommy did a "modified stationary panic" until my thoughts returned to my mind and I ran to get something to drink.  It was the hottest thing I have ever tasted!  Daddy took it to church and there was a couple in attendance who lived in Guatemala.  They tasted Daddy's salsa and said, "The flavor is really good but it is too spicy!"  :)  We laughed and laughed.  Someone even drew a little picture of a man with tears running down his face and set it up against the serving container of salsa.  (It might have been Daddy who did that!)  :)  I think the 2 jalapenos are about the max that Mommy can take in this but it sure does have a fantastic flavor!  By the way, Daddy's salsa has nothing on Uncle Michael's salsa.  His is so hot that the guys sweat when they eat it.  Now that is some serious "clearing your sinuses" food!  :)

Love Always,
Mommy

Shell's Guacamole

1 avocado
1 tsp lime juice
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cilantro
¼ tsp garlic powder

Halve and scoop avocado into a bowl. Add remaining ingredients. Smash it all together with a fork. Enjoy!

A long time ago I ordered the Guacamole Live! at On the Border restaurant while we lived in Virginia. It was an appetizer that they made for you at your table. I came home and recreated this recipe after watching how they did it. They didn’t use garlic powder so I added that part in because I like garlic. :) Daniel loves this stuff and would eat an entire bowl of it if I let him. He and I usually polish off a bowl if this in no time flat. He is my guacamole buddy! Maybe one day he will be making this for his wife and children. :)


Love Always,
Mommy

Stuffed Eggs

Not sure where this recipe came from.

4 hard boiled eggs
4 tsp mayonnaise
3/4 tsp prepared mustard
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tsp pickle juice
dash of salt
paprika, as garnish

Boil and peel eggs.  Cut eggs in half lengthwise.  Place the yokes in a ziplock bag and smash them up.  Add the remaining ingredients except paprika.  Combine the ingredients by smooshing them all together in the sealed ziplock bag.  Cut one corner of the ziplock bag and pip the egg yoke mixture into the egg whites.  Sprinkle with paprika and chill.

PePaw loved these eggs and I made them too many times to count.  We didn't have our chickens at the time and we bought dozens and dozens of eggs- I loved seeing him eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I think he lived on them for awhile!  :)

One day one of PePaw's caregivers decided to warm some of these up in the microwave.  She put them in for way too long and exploded them everywhere!  It was a HUGE mess!  There was yellow creamy stuff and white egg chunks all over the inside of the microwave.  What an egg disaster!

Love Always,
Mommy