Trek Bars--Homemade Granola Bars

These bars. Oh. My. Word. 

So I made an incredible discovery about the location of my new office. I happen to be caddy-corner from Great Harvest Bread Company. If you've never been, you're missing out. It's the cutest little bakery and sandwich shop. Everyday they make different options of fresh bread and goodies and then have a few everyday staples. The best part about this little gem is that they give you FREE samples every time you come in. Puhlease and thank you.  When I go, I try a slice or two of bread. Oh, and they top it with cinnamon butter. Enough said....

I wanted to show my friend the shop and when we visited they happened to have their Trek Bars to sample. I gave it a shot, and oh my word, it was SO delicious! Since I liked it so much, I decided to find a copycat recipe for these bars. I did, and then tweaked it slightly to my own liking. These bars are chewy and dense, sweet and salty, and crunchy all at the same time! I absolutely love the millet (aka, bird seed) because it adds a nice crunch. If you don't have any, I highly recommend you go out and get some for these bars. 

So some of you may read this recipe and think, "Oh my gosh, there's no way I can make those bars and eat them. They have way too many calories, fat, and sugar." I used to think the same way. But ever since I started learning about mindfulness and then intuitive eating, that has changed. I am going to post a blog about intuitive eating very soon because it's completely changing the way I view food and my body and it's been awesome. The thing about eating these bars are that, yes, I'm sure they have a lot of energy (calories, fat, etc) in them, but I'm not worried because they are incredibly filling. Instead of snacking on a bowl of popcorn, and then something else, and then something else; I have one of these bars and I'm satisfied for a really long time. 

And not only and I'm physically satisfied, I'm emotionally satisfied too because the bar tastes good and I'm able to enjoy it. When we restrict, we set ourselves up for eating more later on. Sooo, all of that to say, you should/must make these bars soon!

If you don't care for apricots or craisins, sub in raisins or some other dried fruit. If you're not a fan of walnuts or sunflower seeds, go with almonds. Substitute the mix-ins for things you like. The only non-negotiable is the millet :-). If you don't have any unflavored whey protein powder, I'm sure they will turn out just fine. They'll just be a little more chewy (which isn't a bad thing if you ask me!)

Breakfast...The Best Part of My Day

If you haven't noticed, I happen to like hosting parties/get-togethers. And I at these said parties, I really enjoy feeding my friends.  In college, I would have a group of friends over almost every Saturday morning for pancakes. We would have different sides with it each week, but the pancakes were the same. I was sort of known for my pancakes...it was my thang. 

Breakfast is my jam. I haven't met many a breakfast I didn't like. Biscuits, sausage, gravy, eggs, pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels, cereal (oh my goodness, I could live on cereal), oatmeal, grits...wait, no grits. My mom used to feed us grits with a piece of kraft cheese melted in. How was that a good idea??? Yet, somehow I used to love it. Gross...But seriously, I really look forward to breakfast every day. That's why Isaac and I eat breakfast for dinner sometimes too. 

I tend to get focused on one breakfast item for a while. A few months ago it was oatmeal variations most days. Then I was hooked on scrambled eggs. Lately I've been on a sweets/carb kick. It's times like these that pancakes perfectly fit the sweet/carb craving. 

I discovered these pancakes in high school and have tweaked them over time. They are a great breakfast choice as they have fiber and carbohydrates from the whole wheat flour and oatmeal, healthy fat (think omega-3s) in the flax, protein in the greek yogurt and egg, and other additional goodies (various vitamins in the apple and pumpkin, aaaaand...antioxidants in the dark chocolate :-) ). 

I added the pumpkin maybe 2 years ago and have never looked back. It doesn't really change the taste much, but it makes the pancakes incredibly thick and keeps them from being dry. I add in some thinly chopped apple and dark chocolate chips, but feel free to add whatever you want--bananas, blueberries, pecan, etc. Sometimes my family will make a big batch of batter and divide it into smaller bowls. Everyone then puts their own mix-ins and cooks them on the griddle. The possibilities are endless!

Can I just point out the little pieces of apple in there??  

Yield: Serves 3-4

Author: Ashley Smith, RD

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Whole Wheat Pancakes

Thick, fluffy pancakes that are packed with nutrition that leaves you feeling full, satisfied, and energized.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C whole wheat flour
• 1/4 C old fashioned oats
• 2 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 C milk of choice
• 1/4 C Greek yogurt
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin
• 1/3 C thinly chopped apple
• Optional: cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, dark chocolate chips, blueberries, chopped nuts

Instructions

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients and stir to mix. Add in wet ingredients and mix until combined and wet batter forms. Add in the apple and any other mix-ins. The batter will be thick (you want it to be), but if it is too thick, add 1 Tbsp water at a time. Pour ¼ C batter onto preheated skillet at medium heat. When the top bubbles and the bottom side is cooked, flip and cook additionally until it is cooked through. Top with your toppings of choice and enjoy!

Top with peanut butter....is there really any other way to eat pancakes??