Mini Vans and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bars

Hello, my name is Meghan and I drive a mini van.

Wow. Getting that off my chest feels a lot better. Are we still friends? I hope. Because driving a mini van and spending a lot of my recent time washing baby clothes has made me feel like I need to do other Mom stuff, like, you know, bake.

Momma left me a couple of magazines she bought for her flight down here, and when I was going through my overwhelming stack of periodicals I found a what I thought looked like a pretty tasty recipe in a Health magazine she left.

WIAW #11 [Cake and a Big Reveal!]

Congratulations, Sissa & A.J.!

Who eats four pieces of cake at a time? This girl. Now I know cake doesn't necessarily fall into the "sensible snacking" category, but there's something I've been keeping from all of you for the last couple of months. And I think once I tell you, you'll let me off the hook for eating more cake than vegetables last Saturday.

The truth is, I've been snacking a lot lately. I've eaten mini pizzas, affectionately known as Tomato Cheese Dreams at my old high school. Sometimes I cut up carrots like fries and heat 'em up in the oven until they're nice and hot and crispy. I sprinkle them with Mixed-Up Salt and snack away. And I've been drinking a lot of milk.
Think you've figured me out yet?

Flaxseed Crackers

The husband  took me plant shopping!

Weekends are for watching basketball, sleeping for 10 hours straight, buying hanging baskets, getting dirt under your fingernails while you plant lettuce seeds and eating dinner out because you're too lazy to cook.


Mondays are for wearing dress clothes, listening to the radio while you drive to work, hoping the dogs were good while they were in the garage all day and for sticking to a menu plan.


Mondays are also for looking for after-work snacks and wishing the husband hadn't eaten all of the flaxseed crackers you had Saturday and Sunday.

Happy National Peanut Butter Day

The first spoonful from a brand-new container of natural p.b. is a bit runny, but still great!

Just in case you were wondering, my three favorite things in life are the husband, brown dogs and peanut butter.

OK, I kid. Surely our parents, grandparents and my Big Little Brother - and black and silver dogs - rank above p.b. But I'd be lying if I said this all-important food source isn't on my top 10 of must-haves. (That's right: I said food source. The fact that peanut butter can be sandwiched between slices of bread, blended into a smoothie, made into cookies, licked off a spoon, or eaten with fruit, chicken or chocolate and more proves my point. Silly you for thinking peanut butter is just a spread!)

So how did I not know it was National Peanut Butter Day until this afternoon? True story. I had no idea everyone was celebrating this beloved staple of mine until Momma emailed me the news.

Caramelized Onion Dip

Caramelized onion dip and baked chips = good stuff!

I'm a planner. OK, maybe I often forget the grocery list when we go to the store, but I almost always make a list. I like to plan ahead - especially for special occasions, like when we have company coming. I get super excited about what we'll do when our guests are visiting, and I really look forward to the food I'll be able to serve.

This dip is perfect for those occasions, as it's best made a day ahead. I made this the day before New Year's Eve as our visitors were readying for the day and served it the following afternoon when everyone was ready for a snack. All I had to do was grab a serving dish, lay out some chips and veggies, and scoop the dip into a bowl. How simple is that? So simple. 

The most beginner of beginner cooks can make this, and I have a feeling even the most forgetful shopper will be able to remember these ingredients at the store.

Caramelized Onion Dip
Adapted, I think, From Cooking Light

4 tablespoons light butter
2 large onions, chopped finely
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream
4 ounces neufchatel, softened
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are light brown and have caramelized. This process may take 20-30 minutes. Just keep stirring. Just keep stirring.

Remove the onions from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once the onions have cooled, add in the yogurt, sour cream and neufchatel. Season with salt and pepper. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve; serve with chips, carrots, celery or whatever you'd like.


Enjoy!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Protein Balls

Happy end of fall, y'all! I know, I know, we have another 21 days until the first day of winter, but this is my most favorite time of year. I can now wear turtleneck sweaters and socks with snowflakes on them without feeling silly. The husband will let me listen to Christmas music (so long as I choose a Pandora station he doesn't mind, like Trans Siberian Orchestra). And spending afternoons in my craft room making gifts for our friends and family - or trolling the Internet for ideas for gifts I can make - is totally acceptable.

Oh the things I could do with unlimited funds for those Saturday morning runs to the hobby store. 

But funds aren't unlimited, and sometimes that means pinching a few pennies now and then so we can spend all the money we want on flat-rate boxes (so we can send my homemade goods north!). 

Perhaps that's why the husband and I have yet to go grocery shopping, even though we're down to one rotten banana on the counter, string cheese in the fridge and nothing but frozen fish in the freezer. 

Thank God for peanut butter.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Our beautiful, beautiful Sunday afternoon

The husband doesn't carve pumpkins. He has absolutely no interest in hollowing out a pumpkin, making it look fancy and putting a candle inside of it so all of our neighbors can enjoy it while we sit inside. Nope. It isn't his thing. 

But he likes it when I roast pumpkin seeds, which is exactly why he bought me two pumpkins last weekend. Yes, that good man bought me two.

Cranberry and Walnut Granola Bars

Cranberry and Walnut Granola Bars

I've been packing the husband's lunch for almost three years now. That's right, the man has been getting special treatment since he was just a boyfriend. And, yes, I got the memo that it's no longer 1955 and there's no reason that he can't make his own lunch. But I just sort of got into the habit and have to confess: I kinda like it.

It's true that sometimes when I can't decide what shoes to wear or whether I should put on earrings and a necklace (wearing both usually makes me feel too flashy) that I would rather pass the lunch-making duties off to the husband. But most days, I like taking care of him. Which is exactly why I have spent weeks searching for the perfect granola bar recipe. I wanted something healthy and flavorful that wasn't filled with a ton of calories or fat. And I also wanted a bar that I could make without having to hunt all over the grocery store for special ingredients. Luckily for me, I finally found the perfect recipe. Yes, I said it. This is the perfect granola bar recipe.

Pie ... and Cinnamon Cranberry Granola Bars

Pumpkin Pie

If I wasn't already sure of the husband's love for me, the fact that he ate last night's dinner without complaining much proved this is true love. So I made it up to him tonight (after a simple dinner of tacos) with a pumpkin pie. I've made him pumpkin pies in the past, so I thought I'd make him another something special, which I haven't necessarily made before: granola bars. I know, I attempted granola bars last week. But as the days went on, the bars fell apart and we were left with - rather tasty - granola crumbles, which we've been eating on yogurt and fruit.

Peanut Butter Granola & Apples

The granola bars I made tonight, though, are holding together quite nicely. If only we can wait until they cool completely, I am quite confident they're going to cut into squares and hold together well enough to go in the husband's lunch tomorrow. And not to pat myself on the back too much, but they smell so good I think he's going to fall in love with me all over again. They might even make him forget about last night's dinner.

Peanut Butter & Honey Treats

I've been thinking for a couple of days now that I needed to use up the rather large box of store-brand crisp rice cereal in the back of our pantry. Yes, the thought of making a Cereal Killer Cocktail - or three - did cross my mind, but I didn't think the husband would enjoy that as much as me. So I tried to think of something we'd both enjoy - or something I at least thought sounded good and hoped he would, too. The husband loves Rice Krispie Treats and I love peanut butter. What would be better? I figured if Cereal Killer Cocktails weren't in my future, perhaps Peanut Butter & Honey Treats should be. 

I searched the Web a bit looking for a "healthy" Rice Krispie Treat, but basically once you add peanut butter, the extra calories are instantaneous. And when it comes to my peanut butter addiction, I'm willing to deal with the added calories. So here it is, my version of a Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treat. The husband has taught me to love peanut butter and honey, so the honey was added with him in mind. And I've recently been sprinkling cinnamon on just about everything I put in my mouth, so that was a little something for me. 

The consistency of the bars wasn't that of a traditional ooey gooey Rice Krispie Treat, and I was nervous for a while that they weren't even going to hold together, but after about an hour in the fridge they cut perfectly. So we had nice peanut buttery snack - and put some old cereal to use. Now how in the world will I use up the rest of that ginormous box of cereal?

Peanut Butter & Honey Treats
Inspired by joyoushealth.ca

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal

Lightly spray a 8 x 8 inch pan with cooking spray. Heat the honey, peanut butter, vanilla and cinnamon over low heat. Stir the mixture until it's blended.
 
Remove from heat and add the rice cereal. Stire well until completely combined. Pour the cereal into your prepared pan and press into all the corners.

Allow to cool before cutting. Cooking time is actually cooling time. (You may throw these in the fridge if you're impatient!)


Makes 9 Servings
Amount Per Serving: 170 calories, 7 g fat, 25 g carbs, 1 g fiber, 17 g sugar, 4 g fiber