No-Bake Granola

In 2012 during Lent I tried out a no-processed snack food diet. This meant no potato chips, no ice cream, no brownies, cookies or cupcakes that I didn't make myself. It was challenging, but I loved reconsidering what we ate every day and learning what was possible within my kitchen. The pretzels and ice cream have entered back in a little, but our awareness of labels, our buying habits, and our tastes have absolutely changed.

During that time I tried a no-bake granola, and it was a delicious mixture of oats, craisins, nuts and sometimes chocolate. It was nothing like chewy store bought granola bars - you kept it in the fridge to keep them together, and it made it so hard it was almost impossible to cut. http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/04/homemade-granola-bars/

Wanting to see what else is out there, I went back to the alter that is Google and was delivered to this recipe: www.culinarycoutureblog.com/2013/06/no-bake-chewy-granola-bars.html 

It was super easy (about 15 minutes between getting everything out and cleaning everything up + 2 hours cooling) - and seriously tasty. Hello, do you see that 1/4 cup butter melting into a 1/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup honey? Two flubs I made: 1) I added a little too much vanilla. 2) They don't stay together really. You do need to put them in the fridge before eating - if you're going to serve it up as a hand-held snack.

The crumbly nature didn't bother me for this though - because most of the granola bars I use get mashed up right into my morning yogurt (1 c. one-ingredient plain greek yogurt + 2 tbsp lime juice + 2 tsp sugar).

DIY Frog Pin

 

I picked up this insanely large and sparkely frog ring at JCP yesterday. (I was really there for a pair of earrings to match my dress for a wedding we're going to this weekend and the Sephora counter.) It was a completely unnessary spend, but it was marked down to $4.99... and I'm kind of crazy for frogs. Seriously - I've got two statues in my bedroom and the kids know its "mommy's favorite". I nearly did the kid's room in a frog-and-toad theme. Last week my sister surprised me by putting one in my garden that she found at a thrift store. It absolutely made my day.



 

Anyway, the ring was pretty bad. It not only is about 3" long, but it was also made from that elastic material that just feels silly. And with the I put on rings - I can really only wear gold and silver.

So I cut it apart.

Then since I'm also obsessed with pins - I took apart one of those "Kiss Me I'm Irish" pins I had sitting in my jewlery box.

I hot-glued the pin vertically inside the frog and ta-da! A new much more awesome and wearable piece. I'm so excited about it I may wear it every day for a year (which admittedly is probably the next time I'm going to update this blog! I'm trying - I swear. My only excuse is that with a husband, two toddlers, a full time job, pets, friends, family, house repairs, etc.) I have lots of life to live outside of the digital world right now).