Healthy Recipes: Homemade Cereal Bars

As I meal prep for the week, sometimes grab and go snacks are the best option.  I remember buying cereal bars as a kid with the "milk" center, chocked full of sugar.  As if cereal these days wasn't sugary enough, they made those.

But.  They were SO GOOD.  I'll be the first to admit it.

Peanut Butter Cereal Base with a Dark Chocolate Drizzle!

I found this recipe on chocolatecoveredkatie.com and adapted it to the ingredients I had in my kitchen.  It was a great idea for one of those on-the-go type weeks in which you need to have breakfast or a snack ready for you as you fly out the door.  This is a nice adaptation because it has wholesome ingredients, no preservatives, and you can customize it to your taste.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Click here for Katie's Recipe, which is more like the milk and cereal type of bar I was describing earlier.  I gravitated towards a peanut butter-chocolate combination.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of peanut butter cereal (whole grain pb panda puffs brand is what I chose)
• 1/2 cup of oat flour (which you can make on our own by blending oats or using a food processor on them)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbs of peanut butter
• 5 tbs of honey
• Later, you will need another 1/3 cup of the cereal used earlier

Directions:

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients in a bowl.  
2. Combine the pb and honey in another bowl.  Microwaving the wet ingredients may help.  
3. Then, combine both mixtures.
4. Top with the last 1/3 cup of cereal
5. Place ingredients in a pan to combine and dry.

I added melted chocolate to the top of my cereal bars.  I hope these help you get through the week and that you enjoy them as much as I did!

Meal Prep: Ideas for Busy Fit Freaks

Hey all!

I know I have been truly slacking on the posts.  I have been extremely busy, and I thought a great way to take advantage of it is to share some of my meal prep ideas for those of you who need to pack meals and don't want to derail from your healthy lifestyle.  I will give you some of my ideas so far.  The idea is to prepare these things on Sunday before the week begins, after you've refreshed your fridge by grocery shopping.  Wash and chop your veggies and fruits ahead of time so you can grab and go.  Cook things like chicken, quinoa, or pasta ahead of time.  You put these all in tupperware, and then you are set to grab it each day of the week or throw things together quickly.

Breakfast

• overnight oats
• combine 1/2 cup of oats with milk.  Put in tupperware overnight.  Add yogurt or protein powder, and then toppings.  I like berries, nuts, or cacao nibs.
•  wraps/sandwiches (they can be for breakfast too!)
• Example: 1 whole wheat tortilla, banana/jelly/berries, peanut butter/almond butter
•  yogurt parfait
• Have greek yogurt ready in a container, then put toppings like granola, berries, nuts, cereal, bananas, etc in another tupperware.  Top when you're ready to eat your breakfast!

Quinoa

• cook 1 cup with 2 cups of water, then use it as a base for you dinners, salads, etc.  They're even great in wraps too!
• Example: Quinoa salad 
• Spinach, goat cheese, carrots, peppers, cucumber, hummus or dressing (on the side), lemon juice, avocado, chicken

Soup

• Combine lentils or brown rice with chicken or veggie broth to cook.  Then, add veggies and beans.  Chicken would be great for this, too!

Pasta salads

• cook pasta, put in chopped veggies (peppers, zucchini, cucumber, broccoli, carrots), throw in some beans, toss with olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice, top with a little bit of feta before you take it to work.

 Snacks

• pb energy balls
• Combine oats, honey, peanut butter, and chocolate chips into a food processor.  Blend, and then roll into two-bite balls for a quick snack
• Cut and wash your fruit or veggies ahead of time.  Then, take a small tuppeware container with hummus or peanut butter for a healthy quick snack.  Have pretzels or baked multi-grain crackers, too.
• hard boiled eggs 
• These are on of my favorite make-ahead ideas for the week because you can eat them alone, throw them in a salad, and so on.  

All meal prep takes is some planning, and you are ready for the week(:  It makes those busy nights where you don't want to cook or make a lunch for the next day a lot more bearable. 

What is your favorite make-ahead meal?