Number 2 on my list of 12 Things is to make granola bars that don’t fall apart. Well check that off the list already!

Amy from Crunchy Domestic Goddess tweeted an old recipe of hers and I figured it would be a great way to spend the afternoon with the boys while Saffron napped. They took turns pouring ingredients and mixing it all up, standing on a kitchen chair and being very careful.

They even got excited to get to choose what would go into the bars. The little chefs were coming up with all sorts of ideas, not all that wold probably work (mashed banana bars?). We finally decided on dried cranberries, dried blueberries, raisins, and the last of the almond slices. Very yummy!

And the verdict? Very good! A little crumbly, but not falling apart like they usually end up for me. I think I over cooked them a bit, which probably added to the partial crumbling. But over all far more chewy than the other recipes I have tried.

Finally, a bar to replace the store bought, individual packaged ones we used to get. Now hopefully, Michael will stop buying more boxes of bars because he hates my crumbling ones.

Woot!

photo credit: Davichi

I think I may be on a never-ending quest to eat better.

It seems simple at first. Skip the junk food, eat more veggies, drink water. Hey, I can do that. Then the rules get more complex. You start reading the labels, and reading the debates that seem to grow around food. Is this healthy? Is that? Everyone has their own definitions.

This weekend I took another baby step towards eating better, one that is loaded with controversy. We stopped buying cow’s milk.

I’ll admit, I bought into the “cow’s milk is healthy” line of thought. There are many compelling reasons given on why we should be drinking it. Slowly, though, I started creeping sideways. Well, cow’s milk is good. But it should be organic. From grass-fed cows. And raw. And…

I ran out of sidesteps to take.

Face it, we’re not cows. Cow milk is made to grow baby cows. To put on an incredible amount of weight in a short period of time, with little to no boost to brain development. In a logical culture, there wouldn’t be a need for milk because we’d just breastfeed to the biological weaning point then move on to water.

But we’re not a logical culture. So we say breastfeeding toddlers is icky, while giving them glasses of the breastmilk of cows.

This weekend I bought cartons of vanilla and chocolate almond milk. It’s yummy, the kids like it, it works great with granola. And the kids have stopped moo-ing, which is nice.

But most importantly, it feels like another step towards eating healthy for us. Not according to that guru, or that expert. For us, it just feels right.

Sure, there are a thousand more steps to take to get really, truly healthy. And I’m coming to the conclusion that we may never actually get there. Which, is OK, in a way. Everything in moderation, and that includes health food. I’m just trying to get a little more moderate, a little more healthy.

The first thing on my 12 Things list was to make tomato paste.

Done and done!

I used this super simple recipe from Vegeyum and whipped up a batch in no time. Now, when I make sloppy joes I can just pop in a couple cubes of paste rather than opening a can. Much healthier, and far less BPA.

Now, on to September’s task. Granola bars, that do not fall apart when you look at them. Good thing I have all month to try!