Happy Tuesday to you! I like Tuesday. It is like you have Monday under your belt and the week is humming along. It isn’t that I want to rush the week along or anything, it is just that Tuesday feels less like a jolt to the system like Monday does after the weekend.
I did a little baking on the Sunday – carrot flax seed muffins, banana blueberry muffins and peanut butter quinoa granola bars. I cut up a bunch of veggies and made a big pot of chili too. I like to start the week prepared with snacks & lunches that are easy to grab and made with healthy ingredients. I do like cooking for my family but if I am being honest, this weekend it was a little more of a chore. The last few weeks I have felt like I’ve been in a perpetual state of dishwashing. We can’t use our water softener at the moment due to leaking water issues. I am assured that once we get out of the deep freeze, all will be well again! Because of the hard water, the dishwashers success rate has dwindled. Now I am having to re-wash dishes & cutlery with extra baked on food.
Ah well – back to the real reason I write! The peanut butter quinoa granola bars are fantastic! You, being a reader of mine, should have the opportunity to taste these bars yourself. The recipe is quick and easy – you could even swing it on a weeknight! Give it a try and let me know how you like it!
Peanut Butter Quinoa Granola Bars
1 c. uncooked quinoa
1 c. oats
1 2 c. unsweetened coconut
1 c. mixture of dried fruit, nuts or chocolate chips
1 4 tsp. salt
1 2 c. unsweetened, natural peanut butter
1 2 c. unpasteurized honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp brown sugar or sucanat
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9×13 baking dish. Spread oats & quinoa on a cookie sheet and toast for 8 minutes. Stir every few minutes. Remove from oven and place oats & quinoa into a bowl with coconut, nuts & dried fruit. In a small sauce pan, combine salt, peanut butter, honey or maple syrup, coconut oil & brown sugar. Bring to a gentle boil & remove from heat. Pour over ingredients in bowl & mix evenly. Add chocolate chips last. Take mixture and spread into baking dish. Bake for 18 minutes. Cool completely and cut into bars.
Note: I didn’t have enough quinoa to make a full cup the second time I made these. I substituted some of the quinoa for sesame seeds & pumpkin seeds. They still turned out great! Enjoy!
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