Homemade Granola Bars

I got the idea to make my own granola from Pinterest. You can check out my food board to see the original recipes.

I had to try a couple different variations to find a version my son liked.  He turned his nose up at the ones with pumpkin seeds and dried fruit.  Still, I didn't give up.  The winning ingredient was semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Once I agreed to add those he was game to try a batch.  Which I'm totally fine with given the other ingredients I was able to add to it.

Here's the recipe that keeps him begging for more...

1/2 cup of peanut butter

1/4 cup of raw honey

1/4 cup of coconut oil

1 cup of rolled oats

1 measuring cup full of the following:  sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, shredded coconut, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, & ground flax (not pictured)

1/4 cup (or so) of semi-sweet chocolate chips

The ingredients

1. Line a shallow pan with parchment paper or spray with a non-stick oil.

2. Warm the peanut butter, honey, and coconut in a saucepan over the stove.  Stir mixture until it blends together nicely.

3. Remove from heat and add in the rolled oats and then the nut/seed mixture.

4.  Allow to cool a bit, then add the chocolate chips

5. Pour the mixture into prepared pan and spread out evenly.

6. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

7. Cut as you wish and serve! 

The final product

 

Of course, this recipe can totally be adapted to your family's needs.  Have fun figuring out what works best!  Enjoy :-)

Raw Chia Seed Pudding

Once upon a time I had no clue what chia seeds were.  A friend had posted a picture along with a pudding recipe a while back that peeked my curiosity.  Then when at my first birth as a doula, my client's husband and sister were preparing some chia seeds in water.  When he saw that I was interested he offered to make me some too.  They were good, but I knew they would taste better as pudding.  

I admit that I didn't think my son would be up for trying the pudding.  Still, I decided to offer it since he likes honey, almond milk and vanilla.  The chia seeds were the only new thing.  Left alone, the seeds are like any other seed.  Add them to liquid though and they take on a new form.  Kind of similar to the texture of tapioca.  This was the part I wasn't so sure of.  This would be my son's first time trying anything of this nature. 

Pudding ingredients: 

4 tablespoon raw chia seed
1 cup milk of your choice (I use almond milk)
1-2 tablespoon raw honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

 

Mix ingredients together. Let it sit in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Near the end I took the pudding out to mix it again.  My son immediately became curious.  So I took a bit from the batch and encouraged him to try it.  First he tried a taste with his finger, and decided that it was good then went for tiny bites from there.  After the spoonful was gone he kept bugging me for more.  :-)

 The finished product:

My son enjoying the pudding:

He ate about half of what is in the picture, which is a huge step in the right direction.  I'm hoping that he'll be open to having more in the future.   

Have you ever tried chia seeds?  What ways do you prepare them?