Back 2 School: Snacks

So first of all. . . I am pooped.  Seriously, this first week of school.ever has me exhausted.  It's not like it's crazy or anything, but this new routine is taking some time to get used to.  Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!  Anyone out there doing a happy dance (come on, don't be shy!)?  It might be the fact, that in order to get my kids up and out the door to walk to school, I also need to be up and ready.  That being said, I decided that I am much more awake if I get a run in before the kids get up.  So, the alarm goes off before 6 and I go and see the sunrise.  By the time I pick Ethan up at 1:30, I am exhausted, he's exhausted and in dire need of a snack.  I don't know how it is in your house, but usually chocolate milk accompanied by a snack saves us from any potential meltdown that may be brewing.  

 Granola bars are a staple in our house.  My husband takes them every day in his lunch.  Everyone snacks on them.  After awhile, I observed how many granola bars we were going through.  That, and Weston has a milk and soy allergy, and apparently they put soy in EVERYTHING!  That makes it sooooo difficult to buy prepackaged foods (who knew that soy products would work as a preservative?)  So, I started making these, because they were just so awesome!  My husband likes them better than Quaker, and in my house, no one gets sick eating them.

 Another thing I like about them, is that they take about 5 minutes to make, and the majority of that time is spent doing other things. . . so I can whip up a batch while I am fixing dinner if I need to.  I do like to make them earlier in the day, so that they can set/firm up before cutting them into bars.  Look how pretty they look?  Yeah, I don't do that everyday.  My husband would be too embarrassed.  I stick them in the snack sized ziplock bags and then thrown them into our granola bar canister that sits on our counter.

So, I leave you with the recipe (which you can find all over Pinterest with the same base. . . it's pretty awesome!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
vanilla
2 cups quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup rice krispy cereal
mini chocolate chips

Directions:
In a small sauce pan, melt butter, honey, and sugar together.  Let it come to a boil for 2 minutes.  Take off heat and add vanilla.  I never measure, but it's about 1 tsp.

In a large bowl, combine oatmeal and cereal together.  Pour sugar mix over the top and stir to combine.  Pour into a greased 9x9inch pan and press firmly down.  Sprinkle mini chocolate chips over the top and press down firmly.  Let sit for several hours before cutting them into bars.  Store in zip lock bags.

Enjoy!  I hope you are surviving your week!  How do you survive the first week of school?