Whoa, where did the time go? And other stuff

Hey readers! You may have noticed that I have taken a brief break from writing.

It is a new year and I have got some new stuff for you! Including my granola bar recipe. People, my family has been raving about these things! They are so delicious and the best part about homemade granola bars (beside the fact that they are way cheap compared to what you get at the store) is there are no questionable ingredients. Plus they are good for you! Full of whole grains and nuts. Make a double batch and freeze some. Hand them to your kids after school or while at the farmer's market, I promise it will be just like that chewy granola bar commercial where the kids can't talk because they are chewing granola bars - except these granola bars are waaay tastier! Here it is (Please note, these bars do not contain preservatives, please keep them in the fridge for optimal freshness):

4 cups of rolled or quick oats
1/2 cup of nut butter (use your favorite kind, I use raw almond butter)
1 Tbsp of coconut oil (if you don't have coconut oil you should, JK, but you can use butter or olive oil)
1/2-1 cup of honey (Depends on how sweet you want them, and use raw honey with the pollen in it)
1 heaping cup of walnuts (to keep costs down I buy them in shells and crack them, plus I like them to be raw - Famer's Market!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla extract (please use the real stuff, not the imitation!)
1 Tbsp ground flax (I buy whole in bulk and grind it myself with the bullet)
1/2 cup extra dark chocolate (optional) 

Okay, first take your oats and put them in a casserole disk and bake them for 10 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring once. Leave your oven at 350. Next, take you nut butter, honey, and coconut oil in a saucepan and heat slowly over medium heat. Once it is melted and liquified pour it into a large mixing bowl. Then add you cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and flax. Stir. Add the oats and walnuts (you can add anything else you may want in there now too - such as dried fruit, etc). Stir until all the oats are coated and a little bit sticky. Next, press the oat mixture into the casserole dish. Make sure it is even. Place in the 350 degree oven for about ten minutes.

This is where you would add the dark chocolate, if you choose. Just sprinkle on top and press gently into the granola. Allow it to cool for about two hours (if you can wait that long! Seriously, this stuff smells like childhood, mom's hair, and love all at once). You should refrigerate it over night for best results.

Once it is completely cooled and stiff remove it from the casserole dish by turning it upside down and hitting it. Once it is out cut it into bars. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

This is my recipe. I got inspiration from a few sources but I basically made up the way it is here. So enjoy! Let me know how it turns out. Until next time!