The Armstrong 5

I've been saving up granola bar recipes thinking I'd need to try a lot, but the first one I tried I really liked! Plus, my boys DEVOUR them, so they must be great! It's a bit of a variation from the original but here it is... try it and let me know what you think! (Sorry, that second pic is too yellow, but alas, I'm too lazy & busy to fix it!)




Cranberry-Almond Granola Bars
2 cups rolled oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup craisins
3/4 cup sliced almonds
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup honey
3/4 cup agave nectar (I replaced some of the honey and all the brown sugar with this, then lessened the oil slightly to make up for the difference).
1 egg
1/3 cup grapeseed oil (works well with canola or vegetable oil too)
2 tsp vanilla extract

1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease (I use a canola spray) a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2 - In a large bowl, mix together the oats, cinnamon, flours, craisins, almonds and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the honey, agave nectar, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3 - Bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated over until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.

Note - I usually bake for 20 min, then check. I baked for 25 and they were a little tougher than I generally like. Do what you like best!

Enjoy!

Asher worked on this puzzle for a few days. No one else put together a single piece for him. 24 pieces, entirely on his own! Proud parents today... he's growing up!

Yep, busy, busy, busy! I've got Tracy's Bridal shower this weekend, Women's Retreat next weekend, 1st track meet & Tracy's Bachelorette party the following weekend, then Tracy's wedding after that, and then Asher's Birthday party and finally, track meets almost every Saturday until either the end of April or end of May... depending on how many athletes I have going to nationals! Craziness! I'm going to make sure and give Mark quite a few nights out with some guy friends to make up for all the kid-watching he's been doing and will be doing. It will sure be nice to have another paycheck for a bit tho!

Unfortunately, I don't have any photos to post :( You'll have to follow me on facebook to see most that I take these days. I haven't gotten my camera out for quite a while! But, once the weather is nicer and we are outside more, I think I'll pick it back up. Plus, I'm sure I'll take a bunch of my athletes during the season too. So, you'll just have to imagine our happy smiling faces :)))

Sorry it's a short update... hopefully you'll all give me some grace and still stay tuned in until more exciting things happen & until I have time to write about them!