Peanut Butter, Chocolate and Banana Baked Oatmeal

"Crazy" has been the word of the week in our house. Not that our lives are typically slow-moving, relaxing or boring. But, recent days have been particularly busy and a bit chaotic. Zayne ended wrestling season this week with a team party and a youth wrestling tournament at which the high school boys worked at all day today. He, also, had a first date. {Dying.} Allanah had her final Snowball Dance this weekend. Our van was stolen from my husband's workplace {and thankfully, recovered a few days later}. All three kids are in the same play production, which means practices galore these days. And, I must mention that the kiddos and I have all been battling some type of flu for the past few weeks at varying times.

Having grab-and-go meals and snacks are a must for me these days. Since we are a huge oatmeal-loving family, baked oatmeal is a great option for us. It reheats pretty well and provides major fuel to power us through our day.

The combo of chocolate, peanut butter and banana here is pretty awesome. All three are incorporated into the oatmeal itself, then it gets topped with fresh bananas, chocolate chips and a peanut butter/honey dollop at time of service. I do have a couple of kids who prefer this without the toppings, however. They like a slice of this as-is to throw on a napkin on their way out the door.

Think of this as a cross between a bowl of traditional oatmeal AND oatmeal cookies ... just maybe not quite as sweet as normal cookies. Plan to adjust how you serve and top this based upon your family's preferences. My youngest asked to drizzle her slice with caramel sauce. {Quite the treat.} It is pretty moist when it is first baked. But, we actually prefer it cooled, the pieces individually wrapped up, stored in the fridge and reheated in the oven the next day. It becomes a little drier and more bar-like.

Serves 6 - 8.

No-Bake Cranberry Crunch Energy Bites

With three kids still living at home, we stay pretty busy. Two teenagers and a nine-year old make for an often hectic schedule. I don't think there are very many extra-curricular activities that my kids don't do {or, at least, haven't tried}. Currently, we are knee-deep in varsity wrestling for Zayne {our fourteen-year old}. Wrestling can be demanding and grueling on kids {as well as the families}. Weeknights are filled with practices and conditioning. Weekends consist of all-day tournaments that we often travel quite a distance to attend. To maintain his energy and fuel him through his day, our son needs lots of protein. And, typically, he needs food that he can take on the go.

When it comes to breakfast and snacks, these are his "go-to" many days. Actually, all of us munch on these and I always pack some when we're headed to sports activities. You'll seldom not find a batch of these in my freezer. They are full of pretty wholesome ingredients and they do a good job of keeping us full until mealtime.

RECIPE NOTES:  I prefer a combination of peanut butter AND almond butter for this recipe. However, I have made these just using peanut butter and they turn out well. {I really wouldn't recommend utilizing just almond butter.} Also, I use a combination of cacao nibs {found at health food stores or online} AND mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can simply use chocolate chips, if desired. This recipe is pretty versatile as long as you follow the basics with regards to the peanut butter, oats, honey and rice cereal. Basically, taste as you go along and look for a texture that can be easily shaped into balls, but isn't too sticky. I find that the exact measurements for this recipe can change depending on what brand/style of peanut butter or almond butter that I use.

Yields 2 - 2 1/2  dozen "bites" {balls}. 

Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal "Muffins"

Hello. Remember me?

I have been on a hiatus (of sorts) from blogging any new recipes for a couple of months while we're remodeling a house that we just took possession of in July. (Are we close to completion? Thank you for asking. But, nope. Not even close. We're getting there, though.) We've been up to our eyeballs in cabinet staining, drywall work, mudding and such ... all those super-de-duper fun things that come along with most remodeling adventures.

I have barely been cooking or baking from-scratch recently. (I know - gasp.) Our new house is just a few miles from where we currently live and we're not moving in until most of the renovations are done. So, we've been at the new house working during our "free" time which has meant that my hubby and kids have been mostly living on take-out, pizza, granola bars and string cheese. (I wish I were kidding.)

This past weekend, however, I couldn't take it anymore. I was dying to get into the kitchen - even if it meant giving up a couple hours of working at the new place. So, I made a big pot of my Cheesy Potato Soup and kept it warm in my slow cooker to transport over to the new house. (Nothing says gourmet, by the way, like soup served in Styrofoam cups and eaten with plastic spoons.)

And, these scrumptious "muffins" were made ... and quickly devoured.

These are not quite actually muffins in the true sense of the word - they are chewier and a bit denser than traditional banana muffins. (Having no flour in the mix makes them a little different than muffins, as well.) Regardless, they are darn yummy and are great on the go! They actually remind me of Quaker Oatmeal To Go Breakfast Bars - if you've ever had those.

Who doesn't love the combination of chocolate, peanut butter and banana? They're made with stuff most of us usually have on hand and they're ready to pop in the oven in just a matter of minutes. They'll carry you through the morning and are, also, great for after school snacking.

Festive Holiday Buckeyes

 

Most of us know and love this holiday classic.  I spruced things up a bit by adding on some holiday-colored sprinkles and decorating sugar.  Not only does adding edible "bling" to these buckeyes give them a much-need pop of color, it, also, helps to cover up the hole left behind on the top of the buckeye by the toothpick used for dipping.

And, I love the variety of mini cupcake/candy papers that can be found these days.  They really jazz things up and I know these will add a touch of festive flair to my Christmas platters this year!

Yields about 6 dozen buckeyes.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Puppy Chow

A true family favorite.  This was one of the treats I looked forward to at the holidays during my childhood.  The combination of peanut butter and chocolate simply cannot be beat.  And, that powdered sugared coating ... it's what life is all about.  (Okay, well maybe not what it's all about.  Love, happiness, health and family kind of rank up there, too, but you get the point.)

Classic Peanut Butter and Chocolate No-Bake Cookies

You know 'em. You love 'em. Old-school, classic no-bake cookies. A super quick-to-make, well-loved treat that was a staple of so many of our childhoods. They certainly bring me a real sense of nostalgia every time that I make them. And, I love seeing my own kids enjoy these cookies just as much as I did when I was young.

And, really ... what's not to love here? Chocolate and peanut butter collide amid a sea of oats, sugar and butter. {The ingredient list is a short one and consists of stuff most of us keep on hand.} And, you'll literally be in and out of the kitchen in like, ten or fifteen minutes making these. 

This is my mother's recipe and one that she made like, weekly when I was growing up. In our family, we prefer a combination of both quick oats and old-fashioned oats in this recipe. It just seems to create the perfect texture. But, just using regular quick-cooking oats works fine if that's what you have on hand or prefer. {Most recipes call for just quick oats.}

NOTE:  I would pretty much never recommend margarine for any recipe. However, my mother always used margarine in this recipe when I was growing up. I have tried making these many times using real butter, but they just never seem to turn out the same. So, I list margarine in the ingredient list. However, the recipe can very well be made with butter if that is all you prefer to purchase or have on hand.

Now, isn't it time you whipped up a batch of these today? You'll be so happy that you did.

Yields 24 - 28 small cookies or 12 - 14 large cookies.

No-Bake Cranberry Date Energy Bites

My post for No-Bake Energy Bites was a big hit and I've received lots of positive feedback regarding the recipe.  I've tinkered around with some variations in recent weeks and wanted to share with you another version.

My husband and kids have really come to love these bites.  The kids have fought over the last one or two each time I make them.

I really encourage you to play around with what works for you ... what you like and have on hand in your own pantry.  But, this cranberry date version is scrumptious.  It seems to have a perfect texture balance ... and a fabulous balance of sweet and salty.

Yields 25 - 30 bites/balls

No-Bake Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cornflake Bars

Peanut butter and chocolate.
 
A match made in heaven.  (Actually, today it was a match made in my mixing bowl!)

Thanks to Carolyn over at Care's Kitchen, I was inspired to make these simple bars after seeing the photos of them on her blog.

As I was reading through the recipe, I was super happy to see just how incredibly easy these are to throw together!  Literally, I don't think I was in the kitchen for more than ten minutes!

Ingredients:

1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
5 cups corn flakes
1 cup chocolate chips