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Yummy Yummy Granola Bars (with a gluten free option)

Eat, Stay Sane

I have tweaked this recipe so many times, and still adjust it on occasion. I’m super proud of it, because it is truly MY recipe that I developed on my own. There are many substititutions that can be made based on you and your family’s needs and likes.

I make a batch and have these for my breakfast pretty much every day. Super convenient and filling and healthy and cheap and yummy.

Granola-Bars

Here’s what you’ll need:

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted roasted almonds
  • 1/2 cup salted roasted shelled pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup flax seeds
  • 1/8 cup chia seeds
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1 Tb ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 mashed bananas
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

Step 1: Grind first five ingredients. I use an old coffee grinder to grind each individually and then dump into a bowl.

Grinding

Step 2: Add remaining dry ingredients.

Step 3: Mix wet ingredients.

Step 4: Add wet to dry and mix.

Wet and dry ingredients

Step 5: Spread in a buttered 9 x 13 glass pan. Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

Granola bars

Now let’s talk about the ingredients and do the price breakdown.

The almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, and chia seeds are all from Trader Joes. I just can’t seem to find any others that are that good for the price.

The rolled oats are generic old fashioned oats. If you want to make these gluten free, then pick up a bag of gluten free rolled oats while you are at Trader Joes.

The cranberries and cinnamon are generic.

The coconut sugar is from Trader Joes. I use to use brown sugar instead, but wanted to make them healthier. Your kids may like them better if you stick with the brown sugar, but I don’t share mine anyways (just kidding) (no I’m not).

The honey is local.

Applesauce and eggs are generic.

Pick up some bananas too, while you are at Trader Joes.

 

Price Breakdown

  • Almonds $1.60
  • Pumpkin seeds $.93
  • Sunflower seeds $.28
  • Flax seeds $.29
  • Oatmeal $.33
  • Cranberries $.86
  • Coconut sugar $.84
  • Eggs $.27
  • Honey $1.09
  • Applesauce $.18
  • Bananas $.38

Total $7.05 for 12 servings, $.59 a piece!!!!

Saving a lot of dough. On your dough.

Eat, Save, Stay Sane

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Here it is. Isn’t it beautiful! This is my go to bread recipe and what we use for sandwiches, toast, and when we need something to put honey on.

Ingredients. Six glorious ingredients (not counting the water), that is all. Check your bread package, how many do you see? Can you pronounce all of them?

3 cups warm water

4.5 tsp active yeast

1/2 cup honey

5 cups bread flour

3 Tb butter melted

2 Tb salt

3.5-4 cups whole wheat flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast and water, add honey and stir.

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Add bread flour.

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Let rise. (I usually wait until it’s at the rim of the bowl)

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Add melted butter and salt. (I use a spatula and make a hole to pour the butter, then mix)

Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour.

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Knead in the remaining flour. (Here is where I was messing up. Knead it until it forms a ball and is completely mixed-no dry flour to be found)

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Place in buttered bowl, cover with towel and let sit until double. Punch down.

Divide into thirds, place in buttered 9 x 5 loaf pans, cover with towel until double.

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Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

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Now, let’s talk about ingredients and costs.

The yeast is Fleischmann’s in the jar. It’s more economical than the packets.

The honey is local, and is oh so yummy. It’s not much more than what I was paying at the supermarket.

The bread flour is King Arthur. Gold Medal is a bit cheaper. Pillsbury is even cheaper.

The butter is generic. I would love to use local grass fed. Just haven’t gone there yet.

The salt is Morton’s.

The whole wheat flour I ordered off Amazon. A 25lb bag of organic whole wheat bread flour from a company called Great River.

Here’s the cost for this recipe:

Yeast  .63

Honey 1.09

Bread flour 1.17

Butter .28

Salt .04

Whole wheat flour 1.30

Total: $4.51 for 3 loaves!!!

That’s $1.50 a loaf people!!! And you could make it even cheaper by using different brands. That’s up to you!

Bounty of Blessings

Eat, Stay Sane

I have long had a love for bread.

I have developed a love for baking.

It started a few years ago as I was trying to save money and bread was getting pricey and I eat a lot of bread. Toast in the morning, sandwich at lunch, bread with dinner, snack before bed. You get the point. And then there was this little person that liked bread too, and we were going through a loaf in about 2 days. So I started baking bread. It was yummy, but I wasn’t very good at it. Then I had another little person, and was working, and was running, and just didn’t have the time or desire to keep it up. Fast forward a couple years, and there was an article going around about how some breads had the same ingredient in it that is used in yoga mats. Yummy. It got me reading the ingredient lists. I don’t understand why there was soy flour in my 100% whole wheat bread. And why so many ingredients. Gross. So combining this info plus wanting to save money, I started baking again. And still wasn’t very good. But I have this friend that is a baker. And she came and watched me make bread. And whaddayaknow, I wasn’t kneading it enough. I needed to knead. A lot.

I have now branched out to add tortillas, hamburger buns, and italian bread. And they’re pretty awesome stuff.

Over the next few posts I will be sharing recipes and the price breakdown for you!

bread-bounty

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