Favorite Granola Bars & Life Update

Hi, hi, hello. :)  

Anyone still out there? I'm not sure if many people still read blogs anymore, as instagram is increasingly encroaching on that part of the internet, but here I am. Though the absence of posts would say otherwise, I have missed this space, but I've been a bit busy. 

I had another baby. 

Meet Amelia.  We are completely and totally smitten,

Maybe you're thinking, "didn't she just have a baby?"  And the answer to that is yes.  Caleb and Amelia are 18 months apart. 

As I've previously written, Caleb was a very challenging baby, and I struggled a lot with my initial adjustment to motherhood.  Pretty much everything about it was hard and humbling.  So, finding out when he was ten months old that we were pregnant AGAIN, just as things were starting to get a little easier and I was feeling a little less like I was in a constant state of survival was really really hard.  And humbling. 

But, as it turns out, nine months is a long time.  Life with Caleb continued to become easier and more fun (despite the new toddler tantrums) and we began to create space in our hearts and minds for a little girl(!) to join the mix. 

And now that she's here, I feel like she's filled a hole that we didn't even know existed.  Make no mistake--life with two under two is utter insanity--think simultaneous baby crying and toddler meltdowns and a house that is a complete disaster most of the time.  But one thing that having kids has taught me is that everything is fleeting--the good moments and the hard ones.  I've gotten a lot better at breathing through the hard moments and trying to cherish the good ones.  

And if there's one thing I know to be true in my life, it's that my younger sister is the best gift my parents have ever given me. 

I hope that Caleb feels the same way. I think he will.

Amelia is almost three months old now, but in her first few weeks of life, I could not get enough of these granola bars.  In those first few weeks when I was breastfeeding at all hours of the night, I kept these on my nightstand for snacks throughout the late night and early morning hours.

Maybe you're thinking that there are a million types of granola bars--even really good granola bars--the you can buy at the store, so why take the time and effort to make your own?  

Honestly, I share the sentiment, or I did until I made these in a moment of last minute nesting before Amelia arrived.  But I can confirm that if you take the time to make these homemade granola bars, you will not regret it. 

When I ran out of my first batch of these, I went back to the store-bought kind and was so disappointed.  The very next day, I made a second batch of these, even with a three week old at home.  They are that good (and that easy to make). 

I know it's Christmas cookie baking season now, so granola bars probably aren't high on your baking priority list, but bookmark this recipe for later, or better yet, make them and add some holiday sprinkles. 

Favorite Granola Bars

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 cup oat flour (made by pulsing 1/2 cup oats in a food processor or blender)

2/3 cup uncooked quinoa, millet or wheat germ 

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups dried dried fruit (my favorite combination is dried cranberries and chopped dates)

1 cup chocolate chips  (Dark chocolate is good. I also really like the mini chips here if you can find them)

1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter 

1/2 cup neutral oil

1/2 cup maple syrup, honey, agave, or golden syrup 

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9 by 13 inch pan with parchment paper or grease well. 

Combine oats, oat flour, quinoa, salt, dried fruit, and chocolate chips in a large bowl. 

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the almond butter, oil, and maple syrup.  Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir to combine.  

Pour the mixture into the pan and press firmly, using your hands to smooth the top.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is lightly golden.  For the best-shaped granola bars, let cool completely before cutting. 

I like to cut these into bars, individually wrap each one, and keep the in the freezer, if you can get them to last that long. 

Adapted, barely, from Smitten Kitchen