Raspberry Granola Bars

I found this recipe while searching Ziplist. My changes or additions are noted in red.


Neena loves packaged cereal bars, but they contain a lot of sugar, and many times the fruit isn't real. Plus, I was getting tired of paying so much for six scrawny bars, so I decided to take matters into my own hands and whip up some homemade cereal bars that are healthy, have real fruit, and taste delicious. Oh, and these are great for nursing mamas since they have old-fashioned rolled oats!


Bars freeze well. So double the recipe. :-)


Back-to-School Raspberry Granola Bars (recipe source:www.kitchendaily.com)


Ingredients:
1 C pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour -- I used 1/2 cup wheat, and 1 cup all purpose
1 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup granulated sugar--I cut this to 1/4 cup
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 cup raspberry preserves -- I made my own by using a bag of frozen raspberries, a bit of sugar, a bit of water, and a bit of cornstarch
2 tablespoons wheat germ
Dash of cinnamon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. .Butter and 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment paper.


In a large bowl combine pecans, flour, oats, sugar, brown sugar, baking soad, salt, wheat germ, and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter until the mixture is througly combined.


Press 2/3 of the oat mixture in an evne layer into the prepared pan and top with raspberry preserves. Sprinkle the preserves with remaining oat mixture.


Bake the bars for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Let granola bars cool. Cut into squares and serve or package.

Greek Frittata

Recipe from The Petit Appetit Cookbook by Lisa Barnes. This was an easy recipe that packs a lot of flavor. Neena loved it, too!


Ingredients:
1/2 C water plus 1 T water
1/3 cup uncooked couscous
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
5 eggs
2 t canola oil
1/3 C slivered oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1/3 C chopped kalamata olives
1/4 C diced onion
1/4 C grated parmesan cheese
1/4 C crumbled feta cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in couscous, remove pan from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff and separate with fork.


Combine 1 tablespoon water, salt, pepper, and eggs in medium bowl and whisk together. Heat oil in large ovenproof skiller over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes, olives, and onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove pan from eat and stir in couscous and egg mixture. Level mixture with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle cheeses over top. Bake frittata for 10 minutes, or until set and cooked through. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges with a knife or pizza cutter.

Celebration Cupcakes

Yes, these are named celebration cupcakes, but we made them just because. And, because I've had a major sweet tooth. These cupcakes have healthy ingredients but don't let that fool you into thinking they are low fat or low calorie. They are perfect for a child who is on a high fat, high protein diet, which is another reason I made them. Our little peanut, Neena, is a whopping 18 lbs at 14 months old so we're trying to fatten her up a bit, and these cupcakes have all the essential fattening ingredients in them.


The recipe comes from a great little recipe book, The Petit Appetit Cookbook:Easy, Organic Recipes to Nurture Your Baby and Toddler, by Lisa Barnes.


Ingredients:
1 cup organic whole-wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic wheat germ
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 large egg


Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz softened cream cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with baking liners or grease cups to prevent sticking. In a medium bowl, combine flours, what germ, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Combine buttermilk and applesauce in a small bowl. In a large bowl with an eletric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg to butter mixture and continue to beat. Alternatley add flour mixture and buttermilk mixture and beat to combine.