Customization is the key for deliciousness!

I have enjoyed my week break from school and my internship. Come Monday however the madness comes back even stronger. I'll be working my internship 3 days a week, at Road Runner 2-3 days a week, have class Mon-Wed 4 hours each night, and continue to teach spin. Whooo...it'll be a lot but I'm reminding myself it's only 8 weeks!

I mention this because in order to keep myself sane I will be organized and prepared for each day. This means having lunches and dinners packed to go. I'll want some grab 'n go bars and packables around so each Sunday I'll bake and chop so I'm ready for the coming week. I tested out this granola bar recipe today and was delighted by my options and the flavors! These can be frozen for weeks and thawed when ready to eat.


I chose to be conservative in my flavors for the first batch: old fashioned rolled oats, barley, and quinoa, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, almonds, cinnamon, 1/3 c honey, 1/4 c molasses, dried cranberries, yogurt chips, and pumpkin butter. The options are endless!
Recipe and ideas after the jump...

TO MAKE:
Molasses and Ginger Granola Bars

ingredients:

2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cook) 

1/4 cup barley
1/4 cup quinoa (uncooked)
1 tbsp. ground flax or chia seed 

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin butter
1/4 cup chopped pumpkin seeds/pepitas
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup almonds 

1/4 cup yogurt chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries

directions:

In a full sized food processor, combine the molasses, maple syrup, vanilla, and dates. Pulse three times. Add the cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Puree until mixture is smooth. Add the oats and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped.

Remove the oat mixture from the food processor and transfer to a medium bowl, taking care to scrape the edges of the food processor to remove all of the mixture. Stir in the cranberries, pecans, apricots, and sunflower seeds until well mixed.

Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper (Kitchen Tip: Lining Pans with Parchment). Press the oat mixture into the baking pan until the mixture is evenly distributed throughout the pan and tightly packed.

Bake at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, cool in the freezer until the bars are firm. Lift the parchment paper out of the pan, remove, and cut into 8-12 bars.

Store bars in an airtight container for up to a week. Bars may be frozen for up to a month and thawed as needed.