Finding Happy

I swear, the title of this post is just a blog from me waiting to happen. That's for later, though. Today it's for this recipe I found. I'm on Weight Watchers, you know (I promise to quit mentioning it soon!), and I crave sweet lately. I found these healthy bars, like cereal bars, that satisfy my need for chewy, crunchy, and sweet! This is an "expensive" snack as Points go, but if I have a craving that a piece of fruit (ZERO points!!) can't hamper, then I may not mind using 6 points to find my happy!

MORNING HEALTH BARS
(adapted from a recipe found on JustAPinch.com)

1 cup peanut butter [I used Jif Extra Crunchy]
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (can reduce amount or replace with stevia or truvia)
1/2 cup honey or pure maple syrup (can reduce amount or replace with stevia or truvia) [I used 1/4 cup honey & 1/4 cup Splenda]
1/2 cup cup butter, melted (can sub 1/4 cup of mashed bananas or applesauce for replacing the butter) [I used 1/4 cup applesauce]
3 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract [I am NOT a fan of almond, but stuck with it on this recipe. It turned out well and tastes good, but I probably won't use it again. I don't like the smell!]
3 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened*
1/2 cup chopped roasted and salted pecans (can sub sesame or sunflower seeds, or any other kinds of nuts)
1/2 cup dried cherries (can sub raisins, craisins, chopped dates, currants, dried cranberries or any other dried fruits)[I used Pomegranate Craisins.]
1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (can sub carob, bittersweet, or milk chocolate chips)

*I made a half-recipe with coconut and the other half I substituted 1/2 cup Kashi GoLean cereal.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan (I used a spray of Pam).

In a large bowl stir together the peanut butter, the melted butter (applesauce), the brown sugar, the honey or syrup and the vanilla and almond extracts until smooth.

Add all the other ingredients. Stir well.

Press the mixture into the greased pan and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or just until lightly browned around the edges.

While still warm score into 24 bars, but let cool completely on wire rack before removing bars to a serving platter or storage container.

Store any leftover bar in the refrigerator as they keep best that way.

Recipe Note: You can individually wrap each bar for a quick on-the-go healthy breakfast bar. You can freeze them for long-term storage that way too.



I love all the online tools you can use to calculate Points, calories, etc. They are part of my happy!

Weight Watchers Points: I used the Weight Watchers Online tool called the "recipe builder," and recorded all of the ingredients I chose to use in this recipe. Each bar is 6 Points.


Did you know about the Spark People Recipe Calculator?
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
It tells me all this information about this recipe (the one with coconut):
24 servings
Amount per serving:
Calories 161.2
Total Fat 7.1 g
Saturated Fat 2.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 24.5 mg
Potassium 134.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 31.7 g
Dietary Fiber 3.4 g
Sugars 14.3 g
Protein 2.9 g
Vitamin A 0.0 %
Vitamin B-12 0.0 %
Vitamin B-6 1.7 %
Vitamin C 0.2 %
Vitamin D 0.0 %
Vitamin E 3.0 %
Calcium 1.9 %
Copper 9.7 %
Folate 3.4 %
Iron 7.8 %
Magnesium 11.3 %
Manganese 63.8 %
Niacin 4.7 %
Pantothenic Acid 3.4 %
Phosphorus 13.0 %
Riboflavin 2.5 %
Selenium 0.6 %
Thiamin 12.8 %
Zinc 7.0 %

Noshing Notes

When guests want a little something to nosh on, I find that there are lots of fun snacks out there! When I serve something like these spicy pecans, I make sure to put a spoon in the bowl so that no one puts hands into the food--yuck!

These are easy to make and a real crowd-pleaser. They were a hit at Thanksgiving this year.
DEBBIE'S SPICY PECANS
(Am unsure where I got this recipe, and they're named for some other Debbie, not me! I sure like them, though!)

4 cups pecan halves (I bought mine in Wharton, Texas, at Southern Select Nut Company. Yum!)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp Tobasco sauce
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs garlic salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix all ingredients and spread on a cookie sheet.
Bake 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice.
Drain on a brown paper bag. (I put three layers of paper towels in the bottom of my sink and let them cool there.)





The SPICY SALTINES that I posted earlier today (at the end of the "Friends for Lunch" post) are really good for noshing as well!

Cake for Friends

I mentioned in the last post that I had made a soup lunch for five of my friends. My dad provided the dessert! My parents had a B&B for several years, and Dad was the main cook. (Mom was head bottle washer and hostess with the mostest!) Here's the family recipe he gave me:

This is a wonderfully moist--almost gooey--chocolate cake!
CHOCOLATE SHEATH CAKE
(a recipe handed down from my mom's mom, Velma Wiley, and my dad's mom, Maggie Johansen)

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup water
1 cup oil
4 Tbs cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix sugar and flour together.
Bring butter, water, oil, and cocoa to a boil.
Add sugar and flour to the liquid mixture. Mix well.
Add beaten eggs, buttermilk, soda, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Mix batter well and pour into a greased and floured 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Frost as soon as it is taken from the oven, using this recipe:
FROSTING

1 16-oz box powdered sugar
4 Tbs cocoa
6-8 Tbs milk
1 stick butter, melted
1 Tbs vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Mix all ingredients except pecans. Add pecans before spreading on the hot cake.