Happy Lil' Carb Loader bars

Nummy

Mmmm.. oats craving. Still. So I made up these baked oat bars. I've messed with getting them right on and off for maybe a year.. And I found the secret! I think. It's grinding half the oats to a flour. Got the idea from the blueberry oats recipe!

Happy Lil' Carb Loader Bars

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 cup melted Coconut oil

1/8 cup Honey

1/2 cup Apple juice

3-4 Dates

1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 cup Cranberries dried

1/8 cup Almonds

1/8 cup Raisins

2 tbs Ground flaxseed

1/8 cup chocolate chips (optional)

and a pinch of salt

Put da Lime in Da Coconut...

You can play around with the sugar for personal taste, i.e. yacon syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar, stevia, brown sugar, maple syrup etc. or just add more honey. I use fresh apple juice from a juicer, but I'm guessing but bottled will work. Or you could try apple sauce/pulp. You can also sub in almond butter/ peanut butter for the fruit and nuts. It's easy to play with. The only thing I've found is no matter what I sub in for the oil, it never works. So, *sigh* stuck with the oil.  But, if I have to have some fat, coconut oil is at the top of the list (personally). Besides, it's not much for 3 cups of oats!

How to:

Combine apple juice and flax, set aside. Take 1 1/2 cups of the oats, process until still coarse, but almost fine, not quite flour. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except oats, honey and oil. Pulse until uniform in size. In small pan, heat coconut oil and honey to melt into pouring consistency. In large mixing bowl, combine all 3 cups of oats, nut/fruit mixture and flax/juice mixture, stir. Then pour oil over the top and stir well. You should be able to press it together with your hands and it sticks like dry cookie dough. Press into lightly greased baking sheet (with rim). Press well. I used an 11 inch long pan and it doesn't quite fill it. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until golden. It takes about 12 for me. Score lightly with pizza cutter once removed from the oven. Once cooled completely, cut the rest of the way through. Store airtight. Yummy!

Super Woman Pom/Cran Juice & Bald Eagles in AK

Deliciously Detoxifying!

I'll start off with this awesome recipe for anytime juice. It can be a bit tart. You can always add another apple. I personally like beets and apples alone. I tried it with this and it took away the fabulous flavors of the pomegranate and cranberries. I like tart juice and this is actually pretty sweet, but you can always add another half an apple. Enjoy you Super Woman detox power! Whoo!

1 pomegranate, seeded
    1 to 1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries
    1 apple (red/gala/pink lady-any sweet variety-not grannies; optional)
    1 beet (optional)

Directions:
1. In a juicer, process pomegranate seeds, then cranberries, then apple, then beet. (The order doesn't really matter, but if you use a beet, add it last to push any pulp through.)
Makes: 1 serving, Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes

Bald Eagle/Beartrack Mts

Onto running yesterday. It was fairly clear out. I could actually see the mountains. My dog and I have spooked a G. Blue Heron a few days in a row while running past a creek.. and I still haven't managed to get my camera out in time! However, I was able to catch a snapshot of this bald eagle when we broke through the treeline towards the beach.

My legs were pretty fatigued yesterday. I think the weekend and lack of sleep caught up with me. It's easy to not go running today. But I know I'll be so glad I did!  I never wish I hadn't.

Moose on the Trail

Here is a moose track. I'm a size 10 shoe!