Chewy Berry Granola Bars

Every year the month of February rolls around and the first thing that comes to mind is Valentine's Day. Store fronts emit a reddish-pinkish hue and women all over the country anticipate what that special day might bring for her. This year I wanted to make a healthy treat for my fiance to show him my appreciation, so I came up with Berry Love Healthy Granola Bars. I've made many different kinds of granola bars in the past. For these bars, I wanted to use dried fruits that are red to stay with the theme, so I chose cherries, cranberries and strawberries. Then I went with yogurt covered raisins to throw in the color white. What I didn't anticipate was the sweet flavors of this combination to become a flavor explosion in your mouth. I give Berry Love Healthy Granola Bars an A+ and a golden star sticker seal of approval!

I thought about adding red food coloring to make them red in color. Would that have been strange? eh, maybe not.

How are you celebrating Valentine's Day this year?

Chewy Berry Granola Bars

makes 8 servings - prep time: 10 minutes - cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup dry oats
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 cup each dried cranberries, dried strawberries, dried cherries and yogurt raisins
• 1/3 cup each of raw almonds, cashews and macadamia nuts (I used unsalted and crushed macadamia nuts)
• 1/2 cup brown rice syrup

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 x 8" baking pan with parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts and dried fruit. Pour syrup in microwave safe bowl, heat for 15-20 seconds, then pour over dry ingredients. Mix well with a large spoon.
3. Pour batter in to baking pan. Press down firmly with wet paper towel or oiled hand.
4. Bake the bars for 25-30 minutes for a chewy bar. Bake for 35-40 minutes for a crunchy bar. When the bars come out of the oven, press them again using a wet paper towel. Allow the bars to cool completely in the pan before slicing. The bars will firm up as they cool. Remove the bars by pulling them out using the excess parchment paper. Place on cutting board and slice in to 8 bars. Store in air tight container or wrap them individually in saran wrap for a quick gran-n-go snack.

Chewy Healthy Granola Bars

Today we're getting hit by hurricane Sandy. I spent 26 of my 29 years of age in Florida living through some of the worst hurricanes to date. The ones that stand out off the top of my head are Andrew, Katrina and Rita. But I'm sure if I were to ask my parents, they'd remind me of dozens more growing up. When I moved to NY a little over 3 years ago I thought I had finally escaped hurricanes - wrong. Last year Hurricane Irene took a casualty - my car. It was flooded to death. Poor thing. And now, we're about to get hit by the mack daddy of all storms - Frankenstorm (aka Hurricane Sandy).

There's not much to do during a storm, but leading up to it you've got to prepare. Bring in lawn furniture, freeze ziploc baggies of water, tie down the Weber grill, bake and cook everything in your house. I decided I'd make a healthy snack packed with nutrients that needs no refrigeration and can be taken anywhere - Granola Bars! They are like the perfect go-to snack for any situation.

I'd almost refer to these bars as "everything but the kitchen sink" granola bars because you can throw in whatever you want. This recipe is packed with some of my favorite fruits and nuts.

How do you prepare for a storm? And what's your favorite thing to do to pass time when it's all going down?

Chewy Healthy Granola Bars

prep time: 10 minutes - bake time: 20 minutes - makes 9 bars

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup almond flour 1/4 cup flaxseed meal 2 scoops unflavored or vanilla protein powder (I used a protein blend of casein, whey and egg white protein) 1 1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I used pepitas, sunflower seeds, cashews, walnuts and almonds) 3/4 cup dried fruit of your choice (I used strawberries, raisins, cranberries and cherries)

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter 1 whole egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 8 x 11" cake pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.

In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. Mix well with large spoon.

In a small bowl, lightly whisk egg. Then, in another bowl, combine honey and almond butter, microwave on high heat for 30-45 seconds until runny. Pour egg and honey/almond butter mixture in to dry ingredients. Stir until well combined. You may need to use your hands to make sure the mixture is well coated. The mixture should be quite sticky at this point.

Pour batter in to lined cake pan. Spread out with a spoon and press down with your hands until well packed. Place in the center of the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes until the top is lightly brown. Remove and let cool. Slice in to 9 bars and enjoy! You can store them in a air tight container for 2-3 weeks. Or wrap them individually in saran wrap for a quick grab-n-go snack!