Hiking in the woods = Carrot muffins!

Our family (the hubby and I) are training for tough mudder http://toughmudder.com/events/whistler-2013/ and with that comes a weekly hike. This week we decided to change it up and do the Lynn Valley Loop (and carry the kids) http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/lynn-loop/. This definitely called for a yummy snack and I have been meaning to try out carrot muffins for a little while.

Enjoying our muffins post-hike!

Poppy and I got to work so that we would have something in time for our after work hike. I adapted the recipe from here http://allrecipes.com/recipe/awesome-carrot-muffins/  - omitted the raisins and used pumpkin seeds instead. The recipe only made 7 larger size muffins, I would likely double it up next time.

Tidying up while our muffins bake...

Chewy Granola Bars - no bake!

We buy so many granola bars in this house...I don't even really like store bought granola bars, but they are an easy and quick snack. It was definitely time to try and make them.

I adapted this recipe a little to use what I had on hand. They turned out really yummy, this was actually my second go at this receipe (the first time around they got eaten so fastI didnt have time to document it!). One note is that they do need to stay in the fridge to stay nice and firm, or wrap individually to send off in lunches. We keep them in a container in the fridge and they disappear fast!

The complete recipe is found below

Chopping the fruit (Poppy is ready to measure!)

Dry ingredients ready to go

Stir, stir, stir

Bring the brown sugar, butter and honey to a boil

Clean up!

Yum!!

Ingredients

Servings: 24 bars, Cook Time: 10 Minutes, Chill Time: 2 Hours

(I adapted the recipe from here http://www.onceuponachef.com/2013/04/chewy-chocolate-chip-granola-bars.html )

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2  cup of honey
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Heaping 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups quick-cooking/instant oats, such as Quaker Quick 1-Minute Oats (do not use regular old-fashioned oats)
• 2 cups crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies (you could also use corn flakes)
• 1/2 cup some kind of nuts (I just used whatever I had on hand)
• 1/4 cup flax meal or wheat germ (this can be omitted if you don’t have in hand – this time around I substituted with Flax seeds)
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped dates (or cranberries, and other dried fruit)

Optional – you can add some mini chocolate chips (pressed into the top at the very end) or try coconut flakes.

Instructions

1. Lightly spray a  11 x 15 inch baking pan(or whatever you have that is close to this size).

2. In a large pot, combine the butter, brown sugar and honey. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt.

3. In a separate bowl combine oats, rice cereal, nuts, dried fruit, flax meal

4. Add the oats mixture to the pot and fold with a rubber spatula until well combined.

5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press down lightly with a rubber spatula to even out. Sprinkle the miniature chocolate chips (or coconut) over top, adding more or less to suit your taste, and press down firmly with the spatula so the chips stick. The mixture should be tightly compacted in the pan.

6. Place the pan in the refrigerator for 1-1/2 - 2 hours to cool.

7. After 2 hours transfer the uncut bars to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut into rectangles. Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge. If you have to stack them, be sure to use parchment paper or foil in between the layers, otherwise they'll stick together and fall apart.

Please note some almonds were harmed in the making of these granola bars...fortunately we had a clean up crew quick on the case!

ENJOY!!