Homemade granola bars--so easy and no baking required!!

We're a little obsessed with granola around here. We make our own granola, which we sprinkle over our yogurt in the morning and eat by the hand-full as a mid-day snack. I multiply the recipe at least 6 times over so that we have granola to last us for at least a couple of weeks (and it's the perfect solution to a sweet craving and a full belly...without the guilt). If you want to try it yourself, here is the recipe that I use. I throw some peanut butter in there too and don't always add all of the fixings, depending on what I have on hand in our pantry. But as long as you've got the oats and honey (and peanut butter, in my humble opinion), you're good to go!

After mastering granola (it took a few tries to get it perfectly right), we've moved onto granola bars. Because really, isn't it better to know exactly what is in your food?

Mya is an expert granola bar maker, and an ever better granola bar eater. She's got it down to a fine science. Mix ingredients, eat hand fulls of chocolate chips right out of the jar...repeat...repeat.

If you want to give these a try, I promise you they're super easy to make...and ridiculously delicious. Way better than the store-bought kind.

*Here's a quick tip before you get started--buy the large flake oats since they're less processed (even if the recipe says otherwise). We buy this huge club pack bag since we make granola and granola bars so often, but they also sell smaller bags in a variety of brands.

Anyways, here ya go..quickest, easiest recipe ever.

Enjoy!!

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/3 packed brown sugar
2 cups oats (not rolled oats!)
1 cup rice krispies cereal
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
a hand full (or more) of chocolate chips

*****
 In a small saucepan, heat up some butter, honey and brown sugar over medium high heat. Stir it together and let it bubble for 2 minutes. You want all the brown sugar granules to dissolve.

While that is doin’ it’s bubbly thang, pour 2 cups of oats into a bowl with 1 cup of rice krispies. 

Remove the hot mixture, stir in some vanilla and pour over the dry ingredients.

Stir to coat them all evenly and throw in some chocolate chips as you stir. 

Press firmly into a lightly greased pan. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top and cool on the counter for an hour or so.

Cut into bars, and voila!! Homemade granola bars 

Delish!!

**
Oh, and a few fun pics to sign off for the night from this afternoon during our little impromptu dress up time. Who says costumes are only meant for Halloween??

Terry got a nice little surprise greeting from the cutest little bumble bee and a raccoon ever when he got home from work.

Happy Tuesday!! (And happy last week of school everyone!)