Classic Glo Bar ... An "Oh She Glows" Recipe

Well...where to begin.  It's been 15 months since I blogged last...how did that happen?  I'm officially getting a jump start on my 2015 goals and hitting "publish" on this post!  I originally wrote this post back in September...and without further delay...here it is!

New blog is still in works...but I NEEDED to blog this recipe today in honour of the very first food blogger I ever started following.  Angela welcomed her little girl into the world this past weekend.  And...she's Canadian...so that's just amazing.

I remember way back when I discovered Angela she was selling these granola bars online, out of her home, and they looked so amazing.  I never actually ordered any, although I drooled over them many times.  Years later...her beautiful cookbook is released and she graciously includes the recipe!

If you have her new book Oh She Glows...move away from your computer and go make page 215 right now!  If not...run to Costco or Chapters and pick up your copy!!  These are for sure the best granola bar recipe I've tasted.  Not too sweet...a little crispy like a Rice Krispie square (who doesn't like that!?)...works to keep at room temperature since it doesn't include coconut oil...and it has chocolate in it!!  I made the recipe exactly as is.  I wouldn't change a thing.  I will definitely follow her suggestion and try them with Sunbutter so that I can send them to school with the boys.

This page in my book already has syrup stuck to it...it's officially been christened...a Wiebe house favourite.

I made a double batch right off the bat...I know I can trust Angela's recipes to be amazing.  Once they were set I cut them into single portions, then wrapped them individually and stuck them in the freezer.  This way everyone in the house has a healthy and yummy, quick go-to snack...or even breakfast in a pinch.  Wrapping them individually prevents them from quickly disappearing as tiny slivers are cut as each person walks through the kitchen.  What?   I KNOW that happens at your house too;)

Don't be alarmed by the cost of the ingredients in these.  A bar of this quality would easily go for $3...minimum...at a local coffee shop.  This double batch made 24 servings for our freezer...essentially that's $72 in "snacks"...not bad my friends...not bad.

CLASSIC GLO BAR
*all credit to Angela Liddon, Oh She Glows
*also found here

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (gluten free if necessary)
1 1/4 cups brown rice crisp cereal
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1⁄2 tsp cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp fine-grain sea salt
1⁄2 cup, plus 1 Tbsp, brown rice syrup
1⁄4 cup roasted peanut butter or almond butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup mini non-dairy chocolate chips


DIRECTIONS
1. Line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine the first 9 ingredients.  Stir well.
3. In a small pot, stir together the brown rice syrup and nut butter.  Cook slowly over medium heat until the mixture thins and bubbles slightly.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla.
4. Pour the nut butter mixture over the oat mixture.  Stir to combine fully...you may need some elbow grease.  Allow this mixture to cool for a few minutes before adding the chocolate chips. This will prevent them from melting.
5. Carefully scrape all of the mixture into your prepared pan, spreading it out into an even layer. If needed, lightly wet your hands and press down on the mixture to even it out. This helps the bars hold together better.
6. Place your bars in the freezer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes...if you can wait that long:)
7. Remove your bars from the pan and cut into 12 equal portions.
8. Wrap the bars individually and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or in thefreezer for up to 1 month.



Thank you Angela for sharing your gift with the world.  Congratulations and many blessings on your new family of 3.

Sorry for the delay & please stay tuned!

Well hello everyone!  I just did the math...and haven't posted for 7 months.  Have I forgotten about blogging?  Absolutely not.  Do I desire to blog?  Absolutely.  I write blog posts in my head probably 4 times a day.  Seriously.  I love reading about food.  I love looking at food.  I love cooking food.  I love hearing that someone tried a recipe I wrote about.  I love bumping into a mom at church or the beach who has read my blog and just wants to say hi...Jay thinks it's hilarious and laughs a little.  I truly enjoy it!

So what have the last 7 months brought for me?  A complete new inspiration for a new blog.  New blog address.  New blog topics.  New blog header photos (which have already been taken!).  A new design.  Lots of vision and dreaming time.

But more dear to our hearts than any of that...saying goodbye to our sweet Nate who now lives in Heaven with Jesus.  Most of you reading this already know this news...but some of you may not.   Almost 5 months ago, our exactly 5 month old son Nate peacefully went to live with Jesus.  Here's a photo of our little man...taken that morning.  

We love him and miss him...but we are so proud of him.  We have the peace that passes all understanding, which only comes from knowing God...and know with all our hearts that Nate is with Jesus and that we will indeed see him again.  What more could we want for our son!

So...will this new blog get up and running soon?!  Absolutely!!  Just in the right time for our family:)

In the meantime....I HAVE to share this cookie recipe...hands down the best cookie in the house.  Absolutely breakfast friendly...unfortunately not lunch box friendly due to the nuts.  Love these.  They freeze well, store well, stay fresh for a few days on the counter...if they last:)  They don't have a bit of "you can tell these are healthy but I just want a treat" funny taste...they taste gourmet!  Who doesn't love that?  Anyhow...try them yourself and let me know what you think!  Thank you to Angela at Oh She Glows...the first food blog I ever started following...check her out!  The recipe is perfect as-is...didn't change a thing!

Irresistible Chewy Trail Mix Cookies

Many blessings on each of your homes this weekend...see you soon!
Stephanie

Vegetarian Split-Pea Soup

My absolutely favourite go-to big-batch soup this year!  I've always loved Split-Pea Soup...but it's always impossible to get it without ham.  We aren't pork eaters in this house.  I've thought of just trying to make it without the 'hock' or whatever part of the pig you are supposed to use...but assumed you would miss out on amazing flavour.  Back before Nate was born I was collecting recipes to cook and fill my freezer with...and I found this one!  I was hopeful and made a triple batch of it...we loved it...it freezes amazing...and it's been made many many many times since!  In fact I think I made a quadruple batch the morning of the day I had Nate...I thought maybe the midwives would get hungry and need something to eat?!  His 38 minute labour and delivery didn't leave time for anyone to stop and eat soup!  Ha!  But it sure came in handy the days that followed:)  Hope your house enjoys it too!

Oh...and one of my favourite things about this soup...other than being healthy and simple...it's so affordable!  My guess it that is costs me about $10 to make my massive pot full...and that's using all organic ingredients.  That's always a good thing:)

VEGETARIAN SPLIT_PEA SOUP
slightly adapted from here

INGREDIENTS:
8 cups veggie broth
3 cups dry split peas
4 large carrots, sliced
8 stalks celery, sliced
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil

 

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Heat oil in pot.  On a low heat, add onions, garlic, carrots and celery.  Let cook until soft.

2.  Add all remaining ingredients.  Bring pot to a boil.

3.  Reduce heat and let cook until peas are soft...stirring often to avoid burning at the bottom of the pot.  Feel free to add more or less broth, or water, depending on the consistency that your family prefers!  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Avocado-Chocolate Chip Muffins

I was SO excited to get a subscription to Clean Eating magazine this Christmas!  I rarely rarely buy magazines....just can't justify the cost...but when I'm traveling or wanting a treat...this magazine is usually what I go for.  My friend Sindy had told me about an amazing Avocado-Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe that Clean Eating featured...and I couldn't wait to try it!  Little did I know that the copy of Clean Eating that I had picked up on a stop-over while in Vancouver airport over the holidays was outdated (October!) when I got around to reading it...being of January...and had this recipe in it!  Really...did I honestly think that while traveling to Ontario by myself with an almost 5 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 week old that I'd have time to read a magazine!?  The 3hrs we sat on the plane and waited for "unknown reasons" while in Vancouver may have been the ideal time to pull my magazine out and highlight everything I want to try cooking?!  Ya right...with three little boys!  Or the 4 hour flight after that?  Or the 2 hour car ride to my parents after that?  Oh what an adventure that day was!  Phew!  But we survived and all was good.  Our boys did amazing (in hind-sight...haha)...and my magazine was left untouched:(

Enough about the drama...these muffins are every bit as amazing as Sindy said they were.  Kids love them...adults love them...they are filled with nutrition...and the best part...they are nut free so you can pack them in your kid's lunch!  I find that so challenging.  Most things we eat at home have some form of nuts or nut butter in them...so when it comes to school or daycare at the gym...I really struggle to come up with nutritional snacks that will fill them up and not just be empty calories.  The only hastle with this recipe for me is that you need to have a ripe avocado.  We are all lovers of avocado and guacamole in this house...so ripe avocados go fast!  I need to start hiding one or two when I buy them so I can use them to make these muffins again!  And incase your kids aren't fond of avocados...you can't taste them at all in these muffins.  I'd recommend pureeing the avocado to make sure there is no green flecks...that way they won't even know:)

Hope your family enjoys these as much as we did!  They are healthy, simple, super moist and taste decadent.  That's exactly what I love in a muffin:)  What's your favourite muffin recipe?

Avocado-Chocolate Chip Muffins
slightly adapted from Clean Eating, October 2012...page 22

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup chia seeds (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and mashed (or pureed if you want no chunks visible)
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips...I use these

DIRECTIONS
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, chia, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3.  In a smaller bowl whisk eggs, oil, avocado, banana and vanilla.  Add to flour mixture.  Stir until just combined.  This mixture may seem really thick...that's normal.  Fold in chocolate chips.
4.  Spoon batter in muffin cups.  Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the centre.

I stored ours in the fridge...they are really moist so I was worried about molding...they would freeze well too I'm sure.  Ours didn't last long enough to bother!

A few of my Favourite things...

Well Merry Christmas everyone!  Boy it seems to have been a while since we connected on here...and speaking of BOYS...let me introduce you to our newest precious little man...Mr Nate Joseph Wiebe.  Born November 22, 2012...he's amazing...we are so in love and enjoying every moment with him...he fits in perfectly!

So although I don't have any 'new' recipes ready to share with you today (I seriously have photos of about 9 different things on my phone...waiting to be blogged...oops!)...I thought I'd link up some of our family's favourite Christmas recipes.  Some from this blog...some from the web...and a few new ones I tried this year and we loved!  Hope you enjoy!

Always a hit...Starbucks style Gingerbread Loaf...my personal favourite:)

Most requested cookie in our house...Chewy Ginger Sticks

My go-to homemade gift for teachers and friends....Salted Fig & Almond Bark...similar to this
I use raw almonds...ENJOY LIFE chocolate chips...so good!!!

Our main course for the SUMMIT Christmas dinner...Filet Mignon with Creamy Red Wine Sauce...new recipe for me...very simple...great wow factor!

Amazing fun and new dessert idea...DIY Chocolate Truffles...also enjoyed at our SUMMIT Christmas dinner...would be amazing for any size group...will definitely do this again!  Thanks Jamie Oliver!

And one more...a great rolled out Gingerbread Cookie recipe...tried this one last year and loved it...the black pepper adds an amazing element.  Store in a sealed container and they stay soft and chewy...that's a win for me!  Obviously...I sub in some healthy choices...spelt flour and coconut sugar...amazing!

Many many blessings on your families and homes this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas from our family!

See you in the New Year...

You're on the same page as me if this was one of your favourite meals as a kid!  I had totally forgotten about this soup until I stumbled upon this recipe on good-ole Pinterest:)  It was a HUGE hit with our boys...and I have to admit I still loved eating it too!  Healthier for your kids on many many levels than the $0.59 can of it that you can pick up at the grocery store...SO simple to make...and VERY affordable!  I remember buying Amy's Organic's version of this soup when Noah was younger...on sale I would pay $2.99 for one can...and he would eat the whole can at one sitting...not the most affordable meal for a 2 year old!  I used all organic ingredients for this recipe and the massive pot that it made probably cost me about $10-$12.  I divided the soup up into little boy portions (which in our house means a large bowl full!) before freezing it and got 15 servings...you do the math...that's less than $1 per serving...not bad!

Enjoy this soup on it's own...with a grilled cheese!...or an entire sleeve of saltines like I'm sure my brother still does! Ha!

*side-note....remember this long posting I did a while back on savings a Costco?!  I mentioned Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Broth.  Huge thanks to the "M" family for letting me know that they have changed their ingredients and now use Autolyzed Yeast Extract...aka. MSG:(  Major disappointment there!  Good news...Costco now also carries the same brand Vegetable Broth...totally 'clean' broth...you will recognize every ingredient in it!  Just shows once again how important it is to read labels...and unfortunately to KEEP reading labels...companies are always making changes!

Now back to the soup...

Alphabet Vegetable Soup
original recipe found here

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 russet potato, diced (I didn't use)
1 sweet potato, diced (I didn't use)
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, not drained (use crushed if your kids are picky about tomatoes)
4 cups water
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups alphabet pasta
2 cups frozen green peas
2 cups frozen sweet corn

In your favourite large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots, potatoes, garlic and cook about 5 minutes, stirring a few times during that time.  Add the broth, diced tomatoes, water, tomato paste, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the soup, and cook another 20 minutes.  Stir in the pasta and cook 5 more minutes.  Stir in the peas and corn and cook about five more minutes, until the peas and corn are heated thoroughly.  Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired.

Enjoy!  Your kids will have a blast eating this soup!

So on our trip out to Covert Farms two weeks ago we didn't just stop at strawberries...we picked peaches too!  See our little boys working away??!! They LOVED it!  Taking home the fruit that day was just a bonus for us...being there together as a family was an event in itself.  So much fun!

We came home with 30lbs of peaches that we nicely laid out...waiting for them to ripen!  While most were just eaten fresh...and some peeled & sliced for the freezer...I decided last Saturday night to bake a dessert to go with out Farmer's Market supper.  Tons of fresh veggies on the grill with steak...that practically begged for a Rustic Peach Galette (really just a fancy word for pie or tart in my books!).  Thanks to Pinterest I already had something in mind...and we were all VERY pleased with the results!  I switched a few of the ingredients up...but for the most part the original recipe can be found here!  There's something about the rustic look to this dessert that just feels like summer to me...I love it!

RUSTIC PEACH GALETTE
feeds 6 people

INGREDIENTS

PASTRY:
1 1/4 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small chunks
1/8 cup ice water, more if needed

FILLING:
4 peaches, peeled and sliced
2 or 3 Tbsp coconut sugar or sweetener of choice
juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp spelt flour
2 tbs almond milk, or milk of choice
extra sugar for sprinkling, optional

DIRECTIONS

PASTRY: 
In a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)

With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

FILLING:
Preheat oven to 375º.

Roll out dough to a 14″ circle.  Doing this on parchment paper helps a ton. Place dough back in refrigerator.

Mix all FILLING ingredients together until combined.

Remove dough from refrigerator and place peach mixture in the middle of the circle, leaving a two-inch wide rim. Fold edges in over peaches, allowing the dough to overlap as required.

Brush the edges of the dough with milk, and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the peach juices are bubbling.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on a baking rack. Serve warm....with vanilla icecream, of course!?