Homemade Healthy Granola Bars

I've been wanting to try and make a granola bar that is made of healthy items with no preservatives. Here is my first try:

Add all these dry ingredients and mix together :

1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup shredded coconut
2  Tbsp ground flax seed
1/8 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/8 cup slivered almonds.
Optional - dried fruit - including chopped dates, apricots, raisins - I used dried tart cherries. I found the sweetness of the cherries made it so I could use less sweetener.

Then add:

1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix well, if it is too dry add a little honey or a little applesauce until it is slightly sticky

     Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray Pam on bottom of 9x13 inch pan. Press mixture into pan. Bake at 325 F for about 20 minutes.  Let bars cool completely in pan before removing or serving.
Makes 12 bars.

They were so yummy!

Macaroni and Cheese - Healthier Version

We all loved Macaroni and Cheese growing up. Here is a version to make it a little healthier.

Cook 1 Cup of whole wheat elbow macaroni per directions on box
Melt 1 Tbsp of butter (I'd rather use the butter, than margarine) in pan, then add 1 Tbsp of whole wheat flour, once mixed
Add 1 cup of skim or 1% milk, stir constantly under med. heat until it thickens. Add 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese (mozzarella cheese has less calories than cheddar but I love the cheddar taste) ( I tried vanilla almond milk as that was all I had, but don't recommend it unless you use the unsweetened kind.)

Spray the bottom of a cooking dish with cooking spray, then add cooked macaroni and cheese mixture. Then add fresh spinach, a little at a time - as you stir the spinach in it will shrink a little. I added about 1 cup of spinach to this dish.

Then cook at 350 for 20 minutes. For extra cheesy mac and cheese you can sprinkle a little cheese on the top when you cook it, to save calories I didn't do that this time.

Spinach Lasagna - No Noodles

This is an easy recipe to make:

1 box of frozen chopped spinach
1 8oz container of low fat ricotta cheese

Defrost the spinach and squeeze out the water,
Add the ricotta cheese
Add one egg or 2 egg whites
Mix together

Addition - You can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup low fat mozzarella cheese and mix together. For variety, I will put 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top of mixture instead of in the mix.

Spray 8 by 8 pan or bread sized cooking with olive oil pam

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Top with warm spaghetti sauce.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

I make my own sauce full of lots of veggies.

Five Bean Chili

I love this recipe because of the different types of beans. Again this is my own creation. Michael and I love to make a big pot of chili and freeze most of it to use on days when we don't have time to cook.. He is not giving out his secret recipe so here is mine.

Chop 2 onions
Chop 2 red peppers,
Dice 6 cloves of garlic
Dice 2 hot peppers
Cook in 2 Tbsp olive oil
Add one big can of tomatoes 102 oz (I get a great deal on this size can at Rulli Brothers Grocery

Add :
1 can of Pinto Beans
1 can of Kidney Beans
1 can of Navy Beans
1 can of Great Northern Beans
1 can of Canneloni Beans

Seasoning - chili powder, garlic powder, pepper, cumin 1 tablespoon each, then cook for 30 minutes, taste and season as needed. I usually cook my chili on low for at least an hour to absorb all of the flavors.

If I add meat I will use ground chicken from Rulli Bros as they grind up the chicken at the store. No pink slime for me. Right now we are in a vegetarian mode so no meat. Cook up your meat of choice, turkey, chicken or hamburger, drain and add when adding the beans.