Granola Bars

Chocolate Chip and Roasted Almond Granola Bars Recipe from Candace Creations

1 cup peanut butter (I just guess..I probably do a bit more..so decide if you like your granola bars more moist and chewy or more dry and crumbly when adding PB)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup Honey (or corn syrup if you don't have honey)
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup cereal (honey nut cheerios, chex, honey bunches of oats, rice krispies...whatever you want)3/4 cup wheat germ (better to have, but sometimes I'll leave it out if I'm making them gluten free for my sister)
4 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
3/4 cup toasted almonds (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9x13 inch baking pan

(I line mine with foil because it's easier to take the bars out and cut them up.)Mix first 5 ingredients together. Then add the oats, wheat germ and ground flax (optional). Stir in chocolate chips, almonds and cereal.Spread mixture into baking pan and bake for 20 minutes. the let cool.
EASY PEASY! ENJOY!
You can switch these up to make whatever kind of granola bars you like...add dried fruit, different nuts, whatever!
I melted my chocolate chips for a little different texture (it kind of tasted like no bake cookies) I also ommitted the cereal.

Granola

Here is my favorite recipe for granola!

15 cups oatmeal or whole oats

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup honey

5 Tbs. butter, melted

1 cup oil

2 cups water

3 TBS. cinnamon

2 TBS molasses

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Raisins (to be added after you bake the granola as they tend to burn very easily)

Pour dry ingredients into large bowl and mix thoroughly (I let the children help, they love to mix) Combine all wet ingredients and mix in with the dry ingredients. Be sure to mix thoroughly!

Pour into large pan or 2 9x13 pans bake at 300 for 50 minutes, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely, for several hours at least!

*Hint: Measure your butter and oil first before the honey and the honey will come out of the greased cup easily.

Add other ingredients you may enjoy, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, just be sure to add dried fruits after baking.

This mixture keeps for weeks.

I will serve this in the morning to the children, I cook it like oatmeal, add the raisins and serve with milk, they love it!

You can also use this in my Granola Bars recipe in place of the oats, simply omit the sugar.

This makes a lot but keep in mind it keeps for a long time, our family has no trouble eating it up!

Recipe adapted from Wendy Jeub

Simply Delicious Fruit Salad

I can be lazy sometimes, wait let me rephrase that as that sounds bad : ) I love simple things! They make my life so much easier, I especially love simple recipes that my kids enjoy.

This was super easy to make and only required these ingredients:
Simply Delicious Fruit Salad:

1 can any size peaches

1 can any size fruit cocktail

1 can any size mandarin oranges

1 can any size pears

1 can cherry pie filling

Drain all the fruit, and pour into a large bowl, stir in pie filling. Wala! Enjoy

Variations: Use fresh, frozen or your favorite fruit. The cherry pie filling gives this fruit salad a different twist.

Singing in the Shower

Spread some love on your kids.

It doesn't take much to make a child feel loved!

When I bathe my children, and I do one by one sometimes for extra one on one time, I sing them a little song just for them.

It doesn't rhyme.

It doesn't even have a great tune.

But they love it, and so do I!

It goes something like this:

I love you, you make my heart so happy. You are so special, a gift from God! You are a special treasure and God has a special plan for you. You are my special little man (or girl).

I also add some other things unique for them.

It's my way of saying I love you.

They love when I sing to them in the shower.

Thankful Thursday

The Girl on the Floor

She stood in the upstairs hallway
Her heart frozen in dread
Her body braced for the expected
When it started, she wished she were dead.

It wasn't her, not the girl on the floor
Going to her judgement, facing alone
It was her sister, though she felt it too
She knew how it felt, had faced it before.

Whack, Whack, Whack, Whack!
She fell to her knees in utter despair,
She could do nothing, was powerless;
She was frozen with terror.

In a fetal position
She crouched to her knees
Stop it God, Why God? We need you God!!!
Those were her desperate pleas.

Crying inside while the tears would not flow
Wishing to hide, but nowhere to go.
Pulling her hair, burying her face
Wishing the sounds and agony could be erased.

"Well you moved your knees, five more!"
The screaming continued, the pain all too real
No, no, no!! Cried the girl on the floor
She wished she could stop it, and wouldn't feel.

Finally it ended, the wounded appeared
With spirit badly battered, face streaked with tears.
There eyes locked then quickly moved away
Asking the question, why did it have to be this way?

The dryness inside, the feelings of hate
He somehow came, she felt His embrace
Soothing the broken, bringing the tears
Softly saying, "Forgive, show grace."

I stare at the girl, crouched on the floor
I know that her heart doesn't ache anymore
Pondering what was lost, what might have been
It is then that He comes, holding me again!

Today I give thanks that He is still holding me!

Word Filled Wednesday

http://internetcafedevotions.com/

Tiny Talk Tuesday

We had to go pick up Jonathan from work, while we waited I wrote down these things the kiddos said. It really made me smile.
Karagen: Mommy, what can we draw on? We're poor. (How do you come up with us being poor just because we don't have any paper?)

Vaughn: We went swimming, we took a boat ride, Daddy also took me to see tractors! (He was using his imagination as none of those things had happened yet : )

Emmaus: I watched TV all day and ate macoroni. (Really? I must be an aweful mother!!!)

Silas: I took my shoes off-giggle. (They all had their shoes off, sigh)