Peanut Butter Honey Bars

If you can't tell, I'm a little extremely obsessed with granola and its various forms... Granola bars, granola chunks, alright-I though I could come up with a lot more forms of granol when I first started writing... but uh-I've got nothing. 

However, that does not diminish that amount of love I have for granola bars and just plan ole granola people! I LOVE it! ...does the bolding of the word love make it more convincing? 

Right beside granola in my heart, is (as we all know) peanut butter! Well...actually ice cream may be right in between them-but they're pretty close in proximity! 

New flavors and combinations that I can throw in a granola bar are constantly going through my brain.... it's a curse really-I should probably maybe definitely be using my time so oh...I don't know... study for my next Chemistry 109 exam... but what fun is that?!

The newest edition to the granola bar family in my cookbook is Peanut Butter + Honey. Not a new combo by any means-but certainly a delicious classic!

These bars are sweet and crunchy with just a small hint of salt from the peanut butter that leaves you craving more...

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup rice krispies

3/4 cup puffed rice (if you don't have this, feel free to use more oats or cereal)

1 cup dry oats

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

2 TBSP. nuts (any kind-I used cashews but whatever you want!)

2 TBSP. flour

2 TBSP. soy nuts

1/3 cup honey

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Mix together all dry ingredients & grease a small cake pan (say 8x10 or something around there-doesn't really matter, however thick you want them)

2. Heat honey and peanut butter on the stove (or in microwave if you must... :)

3. Bring to a very low boil and immediately remove from heat 

4. Stir in vanilla extract 

5. Add heated honey/peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix well

6. Place a piece of wax paper/parchment paper over the granola bars in your pan and press down very hard! *

7. Place in frig for a few hours

8. Cut into desired sizes - I made 12 good sized bars

9. Wrap in plastic wrap, or just eat! 

~Bars will stay good for about a week - or you can keep them in the freezer and take out when ready to enjoy. (they will thaw in about 1/2 hour)

*To really make these bars stick together I highly highly recommend jumping stepping on top of your pan to really press the mixture together - you could also get a small child to help you out with this! 

Time to make more!

p.s. - go check out this product review of Beanitos chips and sign up for the giveaway! Who doesn't love free chips?!

Jay Robb - my new boyfriend!

Guys... I have a confession to make.. 

I'm in love.

He is a wonderful wonderful man -
He's creative, wants the best for me and makes me very very happy!
His name is Jay Robb

...ok ok ya-it's a company (the guy is real of course) but no-I've never really met him or anything...

But I have tried his products, and I'm in love with all of them! Does that count? :)

I was given the amazing opportunity to sample so of Jay Robb's products and am soooo impressed!

The first products I tested were the protein bars -

one bite...

two bites...

three bites...

GONE!

I have NEVER - EVER in my entire life had a protein bar that tasted soooo good! The cashew coconut tasted like a Girl Scout Somoas cookie (without the chocolate). I inhaled it-YUM!

Their protein powder is also delicious! (recipes using the powder coming shortly!) But I just can't get over how amazing the protein bars are-so let's focus on those right now k? 

Taste:

Alright, I think we allll know where I'm going here-DELISH! They didn't taste like a protein bar at all - they tasted like a candy bar! A delicious candy bar! My favorite was definitely the cashew coconut - but each flavor I tried were amazing as well. I also had the fudge brownie (I thought it was great, and I'm not a huge chocolate fan!) and the peanut butter bar as well (obviously I liked this one!)

5/5

Texture: They were nice and thick and left me feeling satisfied, not hungry! They had a nice crunch from the nuts scattered throughout the bar.

5/5

Nutrition: ...just take a gander at what Jay Robb has to say: "I've raised the bar on bars and created the JayBar—a great tasting protein bar without sugar, corn syrup, casein, artificial sweeteners, maltitol, acesulfame-K, evaporated cane juice, aspartame, or sucralose!"  —Jay Robb

I think that says it all! Each bar has about 230 calories, 5g fiber, and 14 grams protein! They have no cholesterol to boot! 

4/5 <- only because they had a little more saturated fat than I would like to see...but that's the only thing I could really find wrong with them!

Overall: 4.75/5 

I LOVED these and will definitely be looking to get myself some more! So delicious!

You can tell Jay Robb is concerned about the health and wellness of all his customers and really has a place in his heart for nutrition. I am excited to see people so happy with their lives - and so focus on their faith as well. On the 'About Jay Robb' page he states:

"As for my success, I give all the glory to God. "

 How amazing and respectable!
Thank you Jay Robb for creating stand up products from a stand up company!

....The Jay Robb Co. did not pay me in any way to write this review. I was given the products free of charge to write a review free of charge. 

Beanitos

Need a new crispy, crunchy snackalicious alternative to greasy potato chips? ...well then - you my friends are in the right place!

I was blessed to receive a sample of Beanitos chips to review - and boy oh boy were they good! 

I took them to a Husker football party (GO 'SKERS!) and people loved em! Though we were all a little nervous to try a snack made with ingredients such as beans (obviously...), flax, whole grain rice... But to our delightful surprise - they ROCKED!

Mmm Mmm!

Great with some salsa!

By the way - Huskers won this game in a last minute play! Yay! :D

But getting back to the chips...

Taste: Delightful! I figured these chips would have no greater taste than a spoon full of beans, but I was proven wrong! (I realize it may come as a shock to most of you that I was wrong, but it does happen - not very often, but maybe once or twice a decade... ) Both the cheddar cheese and chipotle BBQ flavors had a little kick that we all loved! The black bean and pinto bean & flax had a more mild, but wholesome and hearty flavor. They go great with dip - especially one with a Southern or Mexican flavor!

Verdict: 4/5

Texture: At first, I wasn't sure what I thought about the texture of these little snackers, but after one, I couldn't stop myself! They are thicker than a regular chip - but that makes them amazing for dipping! They also have a denser crunch to them - but not in the way that makes you think of something that is stale! No no no my friends - in a good and hearty way!

Results: 4/5

Nutrition: Beanitos are loaded with fiber (20% of your daily value in 10 chips!) that is 3x the amount in regular chips, 4 grams protein, and healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. They are free of corn, wheat, soy, potato (not that any of those are particularly bad for you - but helpful for those with certain intolerances), no trans fat, cholesterol and low glycemic. Needless to say - they have a pretty good nutritional make-up. For more info on their health facts check this out.

(....drum roll...) 4/5

Overall: Great tasting snack chip that goes amazingly well with salsa! ...I just can't get over that delightful combo! They have a great nutritional composition and hearty texture! You won't be sorry if you chose these treats for your next trip to snack-land! 

Guess what?! It's your lucky day! Beanitos is kind enough to supply me with a giveaway!!! All you have to do is:

1. Pin to Beanitos on Pinterest here

and

2. Become a follower of Bliss

....if you do these two things-leave a comment below and I'll enter you for the giveaway! Contest ends - December 1, 2012-so go go go!!! 

The winner will get a box of Beanitos! It's a great prize so enter away people! :D

Psalm 139 ~ Wonderfully Made

"Lord, You have examined me, and know all about me,

You know when I sit down and when I get up.

You know my thoughts before I think them.

You know where I go and where I lie.

You know everything I do.

Lord, even before i say a word, You already know it..

You made my whole being;

You formed me in my mother's womb.

I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

What You have done is wonderful.

I know this very well.

You saw my bones being formed as I took shape in my mother's body."

Wow... Pretty intense stuff. While this may seem a little odd on a recipe/fitness site, it was something I have wanted to talk about for a long time, and tonight was the time! 

I'd like to focus on this particular part: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

God made us, each and every one of us - the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Master of the universe created my body (and yours), in His perfect vision. Does that mean we are all a size 00? No! Does it mean we all have long flowing wavy trestles and glowing bronze skin? No! It means God created us in a beautifully unique way. His Way.

God knows what our body should look like, only He truly knows because He is the one who created us. How foolish of me to try and go against His perfect will. It will only lead to problems.

While this is much much much easier said (or typed) than done, it is definitely something to think about. 

I pray that Jesus will guide me (and anyone else who may need this guidance) in listening to my body. Truly listening to what God wants for it. I pray that every day I will treat my body, mind and soul in the way God would want His temple of the Holy Spirit (which each and every one of our bodies are) treated. Only then will my body be able to do all God has planned for it - and how amazing those plans are! Lord, please help us all to accept and love ourselves the way You always have and always will. 

Amen 

Fluff Frosting

While this picture may not look like anything to write home about, I assure you-it will be one of your new obsessions! 

This picture is of Fluff Frosting... an amazingly sweet, creamy, fattening frosting!

Wait a minute... fattening was not suppose to be up there! That's why I changed it-let's replace fattening with HEALTHY people! Yes... it truly is healthy. Would I lie to you? Of course not!

Here's what you do:

Easy at that. 

You will want to use this as more than just frosting (btw-it's a great frosting for my cupcake poppers)

I like to use it as a dip! (see below...) It goes great with fruit, graham crackers, oh heck-everything!

Oh-It's also really fun (especially for kids) to add sprinkles to the frosting and mix them in to create a fun pop of color to our dip!

Coffee Coffee Coffee!

I LOVE COFFEE! 

(warning-this isn't a regular recipe or review post... completely random, completely me!)

As you can probably guess, coffee is just one of those things that makes me oh so very happy! I love how it tastes, smells, everything! (well-not really how much it costs :S ) 

Licking the CoolWhip off the top is a hobby of mine... 

No.. that isn't a real McDonald's frappe-it's homemade-of course!

Coffee and sunshine!? Yes, please!

Coffee just helps me get stuff done-don't you agree?

Actually though, coffee (in moderation) can be beneficial to one's health. How so you ask?

Well... according to Webmd.com (pretty legit source I'd say!) coffee has been show to aid in memory, reduce risk of certain cancer and depression, reduce risk of Type 2 diabetes, the list goes on and on! 

However, with anything-moderation is key! 

And, no matter how healthy something is-when you drowned it with unhealthy additions (i.e. that sugar and full-fat cream), it becomes more of a vice than a virtue.

Here are a few ideas to help you have your coffee and drink it to! 

For blended coffee drinks:

Blend about 1/2 cup strong coffee and 1/2 cup milk in a blender with coffee ice cubes*

Add flavor enhancers such as: 

-sugar free syrup

-1 TBSP peanut butter (YUM!)

-low sugar ice cream/frozen yogurt

-cinnamon/nutmeg

-1 TBSP. unsweetened cocoa

-1/4 cup shredded coconut

*Coffee ice cubes: (noun) a delicious addition to homemade blended coffees that won't dilute your drink. Made by freezing cooled coffee in ice cub trays. A brilliant idea that deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. 

For warm coffee drinks: 

Steam 1/2 cup milk in microwave and add hot coffee

Add the same flavor enhancer's as above and enjoy! 

Peanut Butter Ice Cream

Oh yes, I went there! My two favorite foods EVER combined!

Peanut Butter + Ice Cream = HAPPY TUMMY!

And get this-this recipe is (well of course healthy) but it actually is fairly easy and low calorie!

Topped with some peanut butter granola (recipe to come!) just sends it over. the. top. 

Oh-idea! Banana granola + peanut butter ice cream! YUM!

Alright, alright... little less talk-lot more action recipe! (please tell me at least some of you caught that country music song reference?)

Ingredients: 

(makes 2 servings)

-1 cup milk (can use any... skim, whole, whatever!)*

-1 cup vanilla yogurt (both regular and Greek work)

-1/4 cup powdered peanut butter (I use PB2, but to each his own!)

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1/2 tsp. salt

Optional (for creaminess factor):

-1/2 tsp. xanthum/guar gum (opt.)

-1/2 TBSP. cornstarch

-1 TBSP. pudding mix

or

-1 tsp. gelatin (dissolved in a few TBSP water)

*for a very very creamy ice cream-use fat free half & half!

Directions:

1. Mix together milk and pb2 until pb2 is fully combined

2. Add yogurt and stir until an even consistency forms (you may want to use a hand mixer)

3. Add in vanilla and salt

4. If using any of the optional creaminess ingredients - add it now, slowly-mixing well!

5. Pour into ice cream maker and patiently wait