Granola Bars

Love me some granola bars, esp after a workout! Need to fill your body back up with some calories that you just burned off! ;)

I have a batch of these, or some other homemade granola bar, always in my frig! Not only are they healthy, they are easy to make and kids can help make and eat as well!! :)

Granola Bars

3 cups oats

1/2 cup cranberries (can also use raisins)@

1/2 cup almond meal

1/3 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup honey

1/4 shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in mixing bowl and stir until incorporated. Lightly coat a 9x9 baking dish, pour it mixture into pan. Press down into corners and all over until flat with your hands. Bake anywhere from 12-20 minutes depending if you like crunchy or chewy bars. Cool. Cut into squares and store in frig.

See, super easy and healthy! My kids love these!! 

If you aren't into coconut, use almond milk and then se chopped peanuts or sunflower seed instead of the shredded coconut. :)

Enjoy!!!

Below is a pic of the granola bar..  It was my "snack" after my workout!  ;)

Mandarin Orange Fish

If you know me, you know I dislike fish. With  a passion. I won't tell you that I've never had a "fresh" crab... Yes I live in Maryland and have never had one. People tell me I will love it. I'll try it... ;)

My hubs and kids all LOVE fish, so I fix it for them and I'll eat the veggie sides or chicken if I have leftovers! ;)

This is so simple but yet all my family love the taste of this! I love the simpleness of it! :) 

Easy and healthy, that's what I like! ;)

Mandarin Orange Fish

Tilapia (depending on many you are serving depends on how many you fillets you need)

Can of mandarin oranges, keep in juice, don't drain 

Preheat oven to 350. Place your fish fillets in bottom of 9x13 baking dish and just dump the can of oranges over the top. 

If fixing alot you may need more than one can. I usually have about 9 fillets and 2 cans of mandarin oranges. I buy my oranges from Alids.

Place in oven uncovered for aprox 20-30 minutes. Every oven will vary on time.

Don't over cook your fish or it will be rubbery and no one will want to eat it! ;)

If you want even easier clean up, sometimes I'll place a piece of foil on bottom of pan... :)

Sweet Potato and Squash Soup

This is super easy and doesn't take much time at all!

Bake your squash and your sweet potatoes after lunch...  Then it will be ready for dinner time!  :)

For our family of 8, I cooked 2 squash, and 4 sweet potatoes.  But I only used half, and put the other half in a baggie in the freezer.  Then all I need to do is thaw out that part for another batch!  :)

Sweet Potato and Squash Soup

1 butternut squash, cooked
2 sweet potatoes, cooked
1 onion
5-6 cloves of garlic (less if you want, but we LOVE garlic!)
1 (or 2) big carrots (ya know, not the baby ones...)
milk
sea salt
pepper
caradom

I sauteed the chopped and diced onion in some coconut oil. Then add the diced garlic and grated carrot and saute until done, slightly soft.
Add milk (I used 2%, but you could use coconut milk, or whole milk...), as much as you want.  I filled my pot half way full.  Then I added my cooked squash and 2 cooked sweet potatoes.  I stirred it up, and then gradual add your soup mixture to blender and blend til all the onions and garlic are chopped and everything is thoroughly mixed up.  :)

Dump it all together back in your pot and simmer until ready to eat!  Super easy and good!  You could eveb double the amounts and it would be an even thicker soup.  All the kids and hubs loved it and gobbled it down!  There was just enough leftovers for a bowl for lunch for me the next day!  :)