Homemade No Bake Granola Bars

Take a look at the following ingredients found in Quaker Chewy Chocolate Granola Bars.

That's quite the list of ingredients in what is suppose to be a healthy snack if you ask me! Most of those ingredients are not even necessary and in my opinion, if you have never heard of an ingredient, not sure what it is, and/or have a hard time pronouncing it, how can it possibly be healthy for you?! I was determined to make my own granola bars for my family with ingredients that I already had in my baking cabinet. I used quick oats, rice krispies, honey, vanilla, peanut butter, butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips.

These are SUPER easy to make!! Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat, add 1 stick of unsalted butter, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup peanut butter, and 2 tsp vanilla until melted. Next, stir in 4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats, and 2 1/2 cups rice krispies. 

Press mixture into lined baking sheet and top with either chocolate chips or peanut chips. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Remove from baking sheet, cut into bars, and store in either an airtight container, or zip lock bag. 

Although they fall apart a little easier than the store bought bars, they are SO delicious! I had a hard time not eating them while taking pictures!! We have been making our own granola bars for about a year now and definitely will not be buying the store bought ones again!

HOMEMADE NO BAKE GRANOLA BARS 

1 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/2 cups rice krispies

4 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

DIRECTIONS: 

• Line a baking sheet with wax paper and set aside. 
• In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla until melted. 
• Stir in quick cooking oats and rice krispies until evenly combined. 
• Press mixture into lined baking sheet and top with either chocolate or peanut butter chips.
• Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 
• Remove from baking sheet, cut into bars, and store in an airtight container, or zip lock bag.

Have you made granola bars or any other homemade snacks for yourself or family? If so, I would love to hear about it! If not, set aside 5-10 minutes to make these. I PROMISE you will not be disappointed!

DIY | Homemade Laundry Soap

We have been making our own laundry detergent for about four years now and have been very happy with the results! It started out as an effort towards eliminating all toxic chemicals from our home and has also saved us a lot of money at the same time. 

I love making things on my own for many different reasons. This includes household cleaners, many pantry staples and foods {I will be posting more about these soon!} There are so many advantages to making your own cleaning products. Knowing exactly what is going into your products, the significant cost savings, and no harsh chemicals is just a few advantages. It is very easy to make your own cleaning products and most people already have some of the basic ingredients right in their kitchen! 

 

 

The three basic ingredients used are Borax, Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, and Fels-Naptha bar soap. You can also add an essential oil if you wish. I don't use it in ours as it has a natural, fresh, and clean scent without it. These ingredients can all be found in the laundry aisle at either Walmart or your local grocery store.

We use to grate the soap by hand but now use a mini food processor which is much faster! We have one that is kept with all of our laundry supplies and used for soap only. 

First, cut the bar of soap into small pieces. 

Add a small amount of either borax or washing soda to the food processor prior to adding the soap. This prevents the soap from sticking.

 

 

 

 

 

Mix all of your ingredients together, store in an airtight container, and your done! If you would like to make your own laundry detergent, here is the recipe:

 

 

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP RECIPE  {POWDER}

 

1 cup grated fels-naptha soap 

1/2 cup borax

1/2 cup washing soda

essential oils {optional}

Use 1-2 tablespoons per load {$0.03 - $0.06 per load!!}

 

 

It can also be used in front loading HE washing machines! Since homemade laundry detergent doesn’t contain a sudsing agent it is safe for a high-efficiency washer. For front-loading machines, use about two tablespoons of your homemade detergent and mix the detergent with two tablespoons of hot water before adding to the dispenser. {source}

 

 

 

Borax {source}

Borax, also known as sodium biborate, is a natural mineral compound.  It is used as a natural laundry booster because of it’s unique ability to clean, and bleach, by converting some water molecules to hydrogen peroxide.  Because of the boron, salt and oxygen in borax it is able to disinfect.  Borax also has an enhanced cleaning power because its borates bond with other particles to evenly disburse its particles in a mixture. It is best used in hotter water.

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda {source}

“In laundry, washing soda accomplishes several things. The high alkalinity of washing soda helps it act as a solvent to remove a range of stains, and unlike bleach, washing soda does not usually stain. It is also used in detergent mixtures to treat hard water; the washing soda binds to the minerals which make water hard, allowing detergent to foam properly so that clothing will come out clean, without any residue. Sodium carbonate is also used by some textile artists, since it helps dyes adhere to fabric, resulting in deeper penetration and a longer lasting color.”

Fels-Naptha bar soap {source}

Grating up a bar of Fels-Naptha, and adding it to the laundry detergent, helps eliminate residual stains. It works as a stain remover, for tough stains and oil-based stains.

If you have tough stains that don’t come out in the wash you can rub the stain with a wet (whole) bar of Fels-Naptha soap to get it out. Let it sit for a few minutes and then throw it in the washing machine and wash as usual.  A wet bar is also great for pre-treating greasy, oily stains, like perspiration and rings around the collar of a shirt.
 

 

 

 

Above photo taken a few years ago. We have made some changes since then, such as switching from liquid detergent to powder. All of these cleaners were made in just one afternoon! Many more homemade cleaning recipes to come.....................

 

 

 

How To Make Homemade Butter & Buttermilk

Making your own butter is actually quite simple! All you need is one ingredient and either a food processor, stand mixer, blender, or you can use a glass jar, although the latter requires about twenty to thirty minutes of shaking by hand but it would be a great project to involve your kids in. Have them roll the jar back and forth to each other which will be fun for them and even easier for you!!

The one and only ingredient that you will need to make your own butter & buttermilk is.....HEAVY CREAM! Yes, that is it! I told you that it was simple. My hubs even questioned the simplicity of it when I told him about it so he googled it to see for himself!! I used a small food processor and one pint of heavy cream (I split this up into two batches.)

First, pour the cream into processor and blend on high for two minutes. You can see the cream separating into buttermilk and curds in the next picture.  

Next, pour off the liquid into a glass jar. This is your buttermilk! We made Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes with ours and they were delish! (Recipe to be posted soon!)

Add 1/8th cup of ice water, replace lid, and pulse four times. Pour out the liquid. Repeat this step once more or until liquid is clear. This is called the 'rinsing' process.  

Strain out all of the liquid using a strainer and cheesecloth. 

Add a pinch of salt or flavorings such as chives, garlic, thyme, etc. if desired. Wrap in wax paper / plastic wrap, roll into a log shape, and refrigerate until firm. 

I got approximately 8 ounces (2 sticks) of butter and 8 ounces of buttermilk from one pint of heavy cream which works out to be a $0.60 savings.  

Trying out our fresh butter on some homemade rolls. (He couldn't wait to bite into his!!!) 

What are your thoughts?! Have you made butter before or are you considering giving it a try now? Go for it!!

Healthy Homemade Dog Treats

Why buy dog treats when you can make them yourself?! Not only are they less expensive to make and super easy, they are also healthy and you know exactly what you are feeding your dog!

HEALTHY HOMEMADE DOG TREATS

Prep Time:  15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes


INGREDIENTS (makes approximately 3 dozen treats)

3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup wheat germ 
1/2 cup ground flax seed
3 eggs & shells* (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup water
3/4 cup applesauce
3/4 cup pumpkin puree 


INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside. 

• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, wheat germ, and flax seed. Set aside.

• In another mixing bowl, combine honey, eggs, oil, water, applesauce, and pumpkin puree until well combined. Gradually add dry ingredients and stir until mixed well.

• Form into a disc and roll out on a well floured surface until about 1/4" thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out shapes and place on prepared baking sheet about 1" apart. 

• Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until treats are very brown and hard. 

• Let cool completely before giving them to your pooch to try out. Store in an airtight container out of reach from your puppy or in your freezer for up to 2 months. Microwave treat for about 6-10 seconds to soften. 

*Egg shells are an excellent source of calcium and protein for your pet. For strong bones and teeth, crush the eggshell and add to your homemade treats or dog food. 

We made some regular size treats and some small letter shaped treats for our puppy, Brandon and my sister's puppy, Nala as well! They both LOVED them!!

Do you make homemade treats for your pets?!