January 11, 2016

chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars

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11 days in and I am still winning the lunch box battle. Yeah me! This week we’re winning with chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars.

chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars

Did you make New Year resolutions? If you did, are you keeping them?

My goals for the new year were pretty simple. Be better organized. Make exercise a bigger priority. More family time, and with teens that is easier said than done, and stay away from buying pre-packaged convenience foods, especially when it comes to lunches.

chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars

So far, I think I’m off to a pretty good start. The kids and I have been clearing the clutter in their rooms; my goodness they collect a lot of junk! I may not have gotten exercise to fit in every day, but I am making an effort. We’ve had family movie night, spent Saturday night at a basket ball game, and I have been spending at least one afternoon a week  prepping/making snacks for lunches.

That alone has made a big difference.

chewy peanut butter chocolate hip granola bars

Stella has been packing her own lunch lately. She’s pretty fussy when it comes to what she likes and doesn’t like, but she’s even fussier when it comes to how that food is handled and packed. I think she finally realized that it was easier for her to do it herself than to explain  it to me.

She’s been packing a lot of salads, hard boiled eggs (even though she only likes the whites), she LOVED the soft pretzels, and granola bars. I think she could eat her weight in granola bars. She prefers the crunchy ones, but since getting her braces, they have been a bit harder for her to bite into.

I’ve tried many recipes for chewy granola bars,and while delicious, they never seemed to hold together very well. At least not well enough to have Stella want to pack them in her lunch. These chewy peanut butter and chocolate chip granola bars are perfect in every way. They’re soft and chewy but hold together even when packed. They’re sweet and full of peanut butter and chocolate in every bite, but still better for you than a cookie or other sweet treat. And I bet you already have everything you need to make them right in your pantry or cupboards.

chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars

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chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 8 bars

Serving Size: 1 bar

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of old fashioned rolled oats (I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats )
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  • line a 13 x 9 baking dish with parchment, and spray with non-stick cooking spray
  • heat oven to 350 degrees
  • in a large bowl combine the oats with salt
  • in a saucepan combine the brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, peanut butter
  • over medium heat, stir the mixture until the coconut oil melts, and the brown sugar dissolves, stir in the vanilla
  • pour mixture over the oats, and stir well
  • spread oats into the prepared baking pan, pressing gently into an even layer
  • bake at 350 for 25 minutes
  • cool 5 minutes, and then sprinkle on the mini chocolate chips (press genlty into place)
  • cool granola bars completely before cutting
https://www.wellfloured.com/chewy-peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-granola-bars/

One bite of these chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars, and I promise you’ll never go back to the box again.

Enjoy!

chewy peanut butter chocolate chip granola bars

Lunchbox snacks from friends –

caramel apple brownies – lemons for lulu

peanut butter chocolate chip cookies – wine and glue

chex mix muddy buddies – very culinary

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