Homemade Energy Bars

Do you eat a lot of energy bars?  Did you know that you can make your favorite energy bars at home?  Check out these great recipes below to make your own energy bars at home.

I am a huge fan of chewy, nutty, fruit-filled energy bars of the sort made by Lärabar. These little bars are enough to spur me on to an afternoon work-out and keep The Hangry at bay. It was looking at the ingredient list of my favorite Cherry Pie Lärabar that made me first consider making them myself. The ingredients were just dates, almonds, and cherries. So simple. So incredibly mind-blowing.

I tinkered with ratios a bit, but in the end, I decided to take the most straight-forward path: equal parts dried fruits, nuts, and pitted dates. Whizz them together in a food processor until they combine into a thick paste, press into a square, chill, and chop into squares for snacking. Done.

My favorite is still cherries, almonds, and dates (which are pictured here), but you can swap out the cherries and almonds for any dried fruit or nut. Keep the dates, though. They act as a binder and also sweeten the bars without needing sugar.

You can also play around with adding other ingredients into the mix: a few tablespoons of chia seeds, a handful of coconut, even some chocolate chips. Again, keep the same ratio of the base ingredients (1 part dried fruit : 1 part nut : 1 part dates), and add the extras a bit at a time until you get a taste and texture that you like.

Making energy bars really is that simple. You'll never need to buy them again.



How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home

Makes 8 large bars or 16 small square-shaped bars
What You Need

Ingredients
1 cup nuts
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup (12-15 whole) dates, pitted


Equipment
Food processor
Plastic wrap or wax paper
Sharp knife
Instructions
 
Roast the nuts (optional). Nuts can be used raw or roasted; roasting will add a toasty, nutty depth to the bars. If desired, roast the nuts at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Allow to cool before using. (See: How to Roast Nuts in the Oven)
 
Combine the nuts, dried fruit, and dates in a food processor. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse a few times just to break them up. Separate the dates if they start to clump together.
Process continuously for 30 seconds. By this point, the ingredients should all have broken down into crumb-sized pieces. Scrape the edges of the bowl and beneath the blade to make sure nothing is sticking.
 
Process continuously until a ball is formed, 1-2 minutes. Continue processing for another 1-2 minutes, until the ingredients clump together and gather into a ball.
 
Press into a disk and chill. Lay a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper on your work surface and dump the power bar dough on top. Press the dough with your hands until it forms a thick square disk, roughly 8" x 8" in size. Wrap and chill for at least an hour or overnight.
 
Divide into bars. Unwrap the chilled power bar dough and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 8 large bars or 16 small squares, as desired. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap or wax paper.
 
Store the bars. Store the bars in the fridge for several weeks or in the freezer for up to three months. The bars can be eaten straight from the fridge or freezer and will be firm, but chewy. 

Room-temperature bars are perfectly fine to eat and can be kept in a lunch bag or backpack all day, but will be more soft and paste-like.
 
Additional Notes:
Energy Balls: The power bar dough can also be shaped into small balls. Refrigerate until firm, then wrap in plastic for longer storage.
Try These Combinations! Cherry-almond, apricot-almond, cranberry-pecan, apple-cinnamon-walnut
Try These Add-Ins! Shredded coconut, chia seeds, chocolate chips, cacao nibs, cocoa powder, crystalized ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom, lemon zest, lime zest

For more information see The Kitchn.

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The Cleaning List

Everyone can get super busy during the week, and then cleaning a home can get put on the to do list.  Check out this cleaning schedule for you to keep up with your cleaning every day of the week.  These simple tips and tricks will help your apartment stay clean throughout the week, instead of just once a month.

Home Cleaning Schedule

Daily
Every morning when I get up, and right before I go to sleep, I have a routine that I stick to. It really doesn't take up much time, but doing this can help speed things along. Although this is not included in the 20 minutes, this takes no more than 10 minutes a day, and easily can become second nature. I've put these cleaning tips in order of how I accomplish them during my day.

Make bed - 30 seconds
Put away clothes and jewelry from night before - 30 seconds
Swipe toilet (I only clean out the inside if it looks dirty) -30 seconds
Wipe bathroom mirror with Windex wipe -15 seconds
Wipe bathroom sink with GreenWorks Wipe -15 seconds
Spray shower with shower spray - 5 seconds
Wipe fingerprints off table in living room - 5 seconds
Wash, dry and put away dishes -5 minutes
Sweep floor - 1 minute

The longest part of this list is obviously washing the dishes. If you are severely pressed on time, you can always use paper. I've found the easiest way to keep the dishes in control is to wash them as you use them. Otherwise, by dinner time, you can wind up with a big, uninspiring pile.

Second Nature
Some parts of my home cleaning schedule, are things that I don't really think about, but just do. These also help to cut down on clutter and allow you to spend only 20 minutes a day cleaning.

As I mentioned already, wash the dishes as you use them
Wash laundry on the go (either throughout the day over the week, or all at once at a laundromat)
Pick up your stuff whenever you leave the room
Sort the mail as soon as you get it

These are all a part of my daily routine. As for weekends, sometimes I do them, sometimes I don't. I enjoy sleeping in on the weekends, and generally have found my home cleaning schedule to get in the way. Home cleaning can be enjoyable, and even a bit Zen-like, but there are so many fun things to do. Who wants to clean all the time?

Weekly & Monthly

Okay, here come the biggies, my Weekly and Monthly home cleaning schedules. For the week, I have my days divided like this:

Monday-Home Sprint
Tuesday-Special Room(s) Day
Wednesday-Bills
Thursday-Home Sprint
Friday-Declutter

As you can see, Saturday and Sunday are not here. Why? Because I don't like cleaning on the weekends. Monday thru Friday, I organized my home cleaning so that I only need to spend 20 minutes to keep my home sparkling. You can too! Let me explain what each day means.

Home Sprint
Monday and Thursday are my Home Sprint days. On each day, for 20 minutes, I focus on completing ALL of the following:

Cleaning the Fish Tank
Dusting
Wiping all mirrors with a windex wipe
Wiping all door handles and light switches with a GreenWorks wipe
Wet Swiffering the kitchen floor
Emptying the trash
Watering the plants
Vacuuming

In only 40 minutes a week, I can race through all of these. I bet you can too!

Special Room(s) Day
Every Tuesday is Special Room(s) Day. This is actually my entire monthly schedule, right here! Each Tuesday of each week, I focus on a different section of my home, for a total of four sections.

Week 1: Porch & Kitchen
Week 2: Bathroom & Study
Week 3: Living Room
Week 4: Bedroom

For 20 minutes, I'll focus some particular parts that need a deep cleaning, like the inside of the kitchen trash can, or polishing the silver in the living room. For busy people who have more rooms, you don't have to just limit yourself to 4 Weeks, take a few extra if you need. The idea here is to only clean for 20 minutes and then STOP. You'll be surprised at how much of a focused home cleaning you can do in just 20 minutes. If you need a more in depth list on how to clean these areas, check out Flylady.net. She talks about something called "Zone Cleaning" which is similar to this idea, and she has detailed cleaning lists and cleaning tips that are great for people that aren't sure where to start.

For more information see Yahoo.

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Ten Quck and Easy Meals

Running from school to soccer practice to piano lessons can make it very hard to cook a meal fast.  However, there are ways for your family to eat healthy in as little as ten minutes.  Here are ten great recipes that you can make in ten minutes or less.

1. Quick and Easy Fried Rice: Fried rice can come together even faster than 10 minutes if you happen to have a good selection of leftovers floating around. It's the end-all recipe to using up leftover rice and is tasty enough to eat for any meal of the day — yes even breakfast.
2. Apple-Arugula Salad Wraps: Although wraps seem more like a lunch food, for a quick dinner they can contain actual food groups and even do away with dishes if needs be. Perfect, no clean up!
3. Thai Crab Salad with Chili, Ginger, and Coconut: Since this meal merely needs to be chopped and tossed, it's quick to throw together and has big bold flavors that will satisfy without a laundry list of ingredients.
4. Miso Soup: Miso soup is perfect for those worried about over cooking tofu as it simply warms in this rich broth and suddenly, dinner is served! Check out this version with a poached egg — extra tasty!
5.The BEST Pancakes Ever: Pancakes might traditionally be breakfast food, but they're perfect for any meal in fact... we want some right now!
6. Egyptian Tomato Soup: This recipe just barely passes the 10 minute mark, but it can be made entirely from your pantry so there's minimal chopping or prep — making it a winner in our book!
7. Friday Night Slow-Cooked Brisket and Onions: So technically speaking this meal takes 5-8 hours to make, but there's really only 10 minutes of prep work involved. Make it before you head out the door to work and when you return dinner is already done for you!
8. Spicy Grilled Shrimp: These shrimp get a quick brine before hitting the grill, but since they cook up so quick, we're willing to overlook the extra brining time (only 30 minutes). Just make sure to drop them in the brine the second you come home from work or possibly lessen the salt and brine them while you're away (so they don't get too salty) to make things extra easy.
9. Thai-Style Omelet (Kai Jeow): This recipe comes together in less than 10 minutes which might even leave you time to walk the dog or check your email before dinner!
10. Scrambled Eggs with Fresh Corn, Goat Cheese, and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes: This meal is labeled as a 10 minute dish and mixes up with many things that you probably already have on hand.

For more recipe ideas see theKitchn.com

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Make a Great Chili For Your Family Dinner

How to Make a Very Good Chili

Makes 8-10 servings
What You Need

Ingredients:
1 - 1 1/2 pounds ground meat or chuck roast (beef, buffalo, turkey or other) or vegetarian protein (tofu, Boca crumbles, or other) — slice roasts into cubes
1 large onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1-2 other vegetables (like celery, carrots or zucchini), diced (optional)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Seasonings (choose 2-3): 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon ground chipotle peppers, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 cup amber or brown ale or red wine
3 cups chicken, vegetable, or beef broth
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
3 cups (2 16-oz cans) cooked black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels (optional)
To serve: Shredded cheese, sour cream, diced avocados, chopped scallions, hot sauce, chopped cilantro

Equipment:
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Large Dutch oven or soup pot
Instructions

1. Brown the meat. If using meat, warm a teaspoon of oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat and brown the meat. Break up ground meat as it browns, leaving pieces as large or small as you like them. If you're using chuck roast, make sure all sides of the beef cubes are seared dark brown. Transfer the browned meat from the pot to a clean dish.

If you're making a vegetarian chili with tofu or other protein, add it along with the beans in Step 6. Reduce the amount of stock and the cooking time by half.

2. Cook the vegetables. In the same pot used to brown the meat, warm a tablespoon of oil over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the other vegetables and continue to cook until softened, another 5-8 minutes. Clear a space in the middle of the pan and add the garlic. Cook the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then stir into the vegetables. It's normal for a dark sticky crust to start forming on the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the seasonings. Add the seasonings and 2 teaspoons of salt to the pan. Stir until the vegetables are coated and the spices are fragrant, another 30 seconds.

4. Deglaze the pan. Pour the beer or wine into the hot pan. Scrape up the dark sticky crust as the liquid bubbles. Continue scraping and stirring until the beer or wine has almost evaporated.

5. Add the broth and simmer. Add the browned meat back into the pan. Pour in the broth. Bring the chili to a simmer and cook for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat has is very tender (cubes of chuck roast may take a bit longer). The chili will still look soupy.

6. Add the tomatoes and beans to the chili. Add the tomatoes, beans, corn (if using), and vegetarian protein (if using) to the pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste and add more seasonings or salt to taste.

7. Serve with garnishes. Chili is often best the day after it's been cooked. It will also keep for up to a week and freezes well for up to three months. Serve with cheese and other garnishes.

 

For more information see The Kitchn.

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Great Healthy Dinner Recipe!

Check out this great healthy and quick recipe for dinner tonight.  This quick and easy salmon recipe will be ready in 25 minutes, and is great for you to eat.

Looking for a quick tasty meal that will only take you 25 minutes? Look no further. This recipe is only 300 calories and is full of flavor. It’s the perfect ending to a long day.

 

Ingredients

 

• 4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 2 chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

 

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape.

Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

SERVES 4

Calories: 300

Total Fat: 18 grams

Saturated Fat: 3 grams

Protein: 29 grams

Total carbohydrates: 5 grams

Sugar: 3 grams

Fiber: 1.5 grams

Cholesterol: 78 milligrams

Sodium: 213 milligrams

For more information visit FitFreshFun.

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Questions to Help You De-Clutter

Do you have trouble getting rid of objects in your house?  Perhaps it is that sweater from 1982 or that old TV from the nineties.  Here are some great questions you can ask yourself to help get rid of the things you do not use anymore. 

During the first week of the January Cure, one of the main tasks was to set up an Outbox to help clear out items that you no longer want or need. I'm a die-hard devotee of the Outbox, but it can still be somewhat difficult to figure out what items belong there. Here are some questions to ask yourself if you're stuck.

Questions to ask when evaluating a particular item:

• Have I (or anyone else in my home) used this item in the last year?
• Is it broken, and if so, is it worth fixing? And will I actually do so?
• Do I have a particular use for this in the near future?
• Would it be difficult or expensive to get another one, or would I sincerely regret parting with it?
• Do I love it? (Or does someone else in the family love it? We don't want to start any family feuds here, much as you may wish to rid yourself of a leg lamp or, in my mom's case, my dad's taxidermy pieces, which she calls "D & Ds" (Dead and Dusties).)
• Does it make my life easier?
• Do I need it (either for function or, with paperwork, for legal purposes)?
• Would I rather have this item or the space that it occupies in my home?
• Would I keep this if I were to move? In other words, would it be worth packing up, carrying around, and unpacking in a new space?
• Would someone else I know enjoy it more than I do?
• How many other items do I have that serve the same purpose?
• Is it my style now, or is it just something that I liked at a previous point in my life?
• Does it fit (your body, your space, your style, your needs)?

A "yes" to any of these questions might constitute a reason to keep the item in question, while a "no" might be a good reason to toss it, but remember that it's ultimately up to you to decide if the item should stay or go. There are no hard-and-fast rules here. If you're still undecided, why not err on the side of putting it in the box for now, just to see if your emotional attachment to it fades over the next few weeks. There will be a time that you can rescue it if you change your mind.

As you evaluate, try not to think about how much an item cost. Just because it was expensive does not mean that it's useful or relevant to your life now. Also, when you go through items that are particularly tough to part with, I suggest not holding them for lengthy amounts of time. Set them on a counter and look at them, or leave them where they are. Holding items can temporarily heighten your emotional attachment to them. It's part of the (very clever) reason that salespeople try to get you to try things on or to test them out.

As a parting tip, if you are really having a hard time paring down your possessions, you might want to set aside a block of time and invite a close friend over for tea or cocktails and a de-cluttering party. Your friend won't share the same emotional attachments to items and might be able to give you some unbiased perspective on their use or beauty.

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

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New Projects for the New Year

It is time for the New Year and new projects to start in your home.  If you are not ready to take on a big project, here are some little projects that can you can start with.  Did you have a New Year's Resolution that involved your home?  Break it down into smaller projects that way it is easier to tackle.  Here are some great projects you can start on today.

Clean Out Your Closet(s)
My predilection for post-holiday sales-shopping means this is second nature to me. After all, you've got to have somewhere to put your new stuff! Spring will be here before you know it, so you might as well make room for new things now.

January also feels like a natural halfway point in the season; I find that if I haven't worn something so far this winter, I'm unlikely to. Alter, donate or pass on as necessary, and check out this post for more closet-clearing inspiration.

Lighten Your Digital Load
This one's easy to do from the comfort of your sofa (providing you have a laptop; otherwise you'll have to move to your desk). A lot of junk can build up on your computer over the year, and now is the time to clear it out. Delete that which you don't need, and store what you do (January is a great time to go buy that external hard drive you've been meaning to pick up).

Also take the time to unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer read, delete old email and store accounts you no longer use, and make sure all your software is up to date. You'll feel better for it, and your computer will thank you.

Organize (and Display!) Your Photos
Sometime this month, I'll sit down and create a 2012 photo book of my holidays, events and get-togethers from the past year. This gets the photos off of my computer and into a tangible form that I and others can actually enjoy (not to mention it's super-fun reliving all the great moments). I've also chosen a few of my favorite snaps to print and frame, since I've made it a personal intention to display more personal photos around my home.

What do you think of these bite-sized projects? Do you prefer them to a full-fledged Cure, or are you more of an all-or-nothing type? Have any other manageable home-improvement ideas to share?

For more information see Apartment Therapy.

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