Coconut Oatmeal Bars!!!

Okay- I mostly stick to thoughts on writing, but hey, a writer’s gotta eat!!! I choose what I do eat very carefully. I buy organic, make the majority of what I eat from scratch, and enjoy every tasty minute!!!

One thing I’ve always justified buying, rather than making at home, were bars. Larabars, especially. They’re so good! They have simple ingredients! I love them. However, they aren’t necessarily organic and they can be a bit pricey if you rely on them almost daily for a quick snack. (I eat between each meal, a few times.)

SO! I decided to make my own bars. Yay! If you enjoy peanut butter, coconut, honey, oats, a little sweetness, and some raisins, keep reading :)

Coconut Oatmeal Bar Recipe (gluten free, vegan)

ingredients!

1) 1 c oats

2) 3 T ground flax

3) 1 c shredded coconut

4) 1/4 c + 1 T peanut butter

5) 3/4 c honey (local!!)

6) 1/2 c raisins

7) 1/2 c carob chips (vegan!)

8) Add these together, in this order, into a bowl. Mix it up. Keep blending and stirring until it’s all stuck together.

yum!

9) Next, lay wax paper into an 8×8 tray (or any size, really… just add a little more ingredients or a little less to make due… super easy, guys!)

just makes it easier to get the bars out….

10) Put it all into the tray, flatten it out, and place in the fridge. (eh, 20 minutes should do it.) (I added some extra coconut on top!!)

flattened out

11) Cut up into whatever size “bar” you want!

couldn’t get a clear shot!

12) Enjoy!!!!!!!!!! (If the bars are too soft and don’t stay together, just put it in yogurt and have an awesome snack, roll it all into balls, or simply eat right out of the bowl. You could also try adding less honey. When I kept mine in the fridge long enough, they stayed bars!)

I love these. I am so excited to make them over and over. Everything I used was organic, except for the carob chips. YAY!!!! Next time I’ll probably add banana and walnuts. Tell me if you tried them or any yummy changes you made! Thanks for stopping by Hey Lou!!!!!!!!!!!

Coconut Oatmeal Bars… Hubby Lou Approved!

<3

 

***coming back to this, the next day, I think I would have also sprinkled coconut flakes on the wax paper before laying down the bars. Also, they stayed together as bars much better after an overnight fridge sleepover haha let me know what works for you!

Love for the Bees!!

One little fact about me: I LOVE honey.

I love bees even more.

Don’t believe me? Okay, so today a cute little bee flew into my house, hung out with me for a while, and then left. It didn’t sting me. It didn’t do anything but keep me company. We had a fabulous time.

You never need to swat a bee!!

If you keep your movement natural and slow, you’ll never be stung :)

ALSO: I’m guessing you wouldn’t do anything to try to kill say, a polar bear, or gray wolf… or anything endangered. Well, bees are going extinct!! There’s something so sad called Colony Collapse Disorder. There’s a great documentary called Vanishing of the Bees. Do your research! Each and every one is important!

They’re really cute and nice if you just get to know them :)

(one time a bee flew INTO my really hot water and died. I pretty much cried. I’m going to spend eternity trying to make up for it!!)

(Also, disclaimer, if you don’t swat a bee and you still get stung, don’t blame me! Accidents happen!)

FUN note: My favorite honey (other than LOCAL!!) is BEE RAW HONEY. Read up on the company’s blog, The Buzz, and learn all you can about these amazing little creatures!

:)