No-bake nut free & gluten free granola bars

Finally! A recipe for granola bars that actually feel like those Quaker Chewy Bars! Granola bars are one of the things I feel like my allergies force me to miss the most. If they’re nut free, they tend to include sunflower butter, flax seeds or pumpkin seeds, all of which I’m still allergic to. It’s always disappointing to see a recipe for granola bars that are nut free, but then to run into other allergens. So I made my own. With the help of a base recipe from My Kitchen Escapades, I made mine gluten free so my sister and dad could enjoy them as well. And you know what? It wasn’t difficult in the least.

Better yet, these granola bars are damn addictive. We’ve nearly finished a batch after a day and a half – I call that baking success!

Another perk of these delicious beauties? They are filling. The oats, coconut and Chex cereal make for the perfect snack in between meals because the grains are whole, and the coconut is fully of healthy fat. The bars are sweetened mainly by honey, which is just another added bonus. However, if you have seasonal allergies with honey (I’ve had these in the past) subbing agave nectar 1:1 is totally acceptable.

I will warn you though, it’s important to keep these in the fridge. If you don’t, and if it’s a little bit humid and warm in your house, they’ll fall apart and become granola chunks. It happened. We gobbled them anyway. They’re just not as easy to pack in your lunch.

Shall we bake?

No Bake Granola Bars
Gluten free, peanut free, tree nut free, soy free, egg free, fish and shellfish free

Ingredients:
2 cups of gluten free oats (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
1 cup corn Chex cereal
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup roasted coconut chips (Trader Joe’s is a great place to find these!)

1. Mix the oats, corn Chex and shredded coconut in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Once melted, add the butter, honey and brown sugar. Cook until it comes to a boil. Let it boil for 2 minutes before removing from heat. Add in the vanilla and salt.
3. Once removed from heat, stir the mixture into the oats, Chex and coconut.
4. Add the chocolate and coconut chips and stir.
5. Press into a 9×13 inch pan. Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.
PRO TIP: Take the granola bars out of the refrigerator about an hour before serving. They need time to reach room temperature before you can easily cut them.

What are your favorite energizing snack recipes? Let me know in the comments below!

Summer Bucket List

Summer is here! Finally! It’s been a long time coming. Believe me, I’m beyond excited for all of the adventures this summer is sure to bring. I will be traveling to Austria for three weeks at the end of July, which is going to be incredible, but also scary on the allergy front. In between now and then, I’m working full time and trying to soak up as much sun and summer fun as I can. This weekend I spent outside as much as possible – I visited the Pittsburgh Zoo, took a hike with my boyfriend and his brothers in the fields behind their house, went for a run at Duff Park through the woods and spent a lot of time just chilling on my porch. Glorious! While this weekend has already proved that summer is going to be great, I figured setting a few goals for the summer wouldn’t be a bad thing 🙂

1. Go for a bike ride on the Boston Trail. I used my bike so much during the fall semester, but I didn’t use it as much in the spring. I want to get back into riding, though. It’s so peaceful, and I’ve always liked it more than running. Aside, of course, from the nasty soreness the next day!
2. Go camping! The food (mountain pies, s’mores!), the hiking, the friendship, sleeping under the stars. What could be better?
3. Get a tan. Last summer, I spent a lot of time inside working. While it gave me great experience (and  a fair amount of extra cash), I was left ghost white. This summer, things will be different!
4. Learn to roast a chicken, Julia Child style. Julia Child is such an inspiration to me – I love how she cooks things so they taste good, rarely worrying about how much butter or fat is involved. And now that I’m eating chicken again, I feel like it’s the perfect time!
5. Swim! I love being in the water – as a kid, I spent hours in my babysitter’s pool. I started off the summer season right last weekend by swimming at a friends, not feeling self conscious about my swimsuit one bit. Can’t wait to continue the good vibes!
6. Learn to make alterations with the sewing machine. Life would be so much easier if clothes off the rack just fit. But alas, I’m 5 feet tall, wear a DD cup, and am petite otherwise – not quite the easiest sizing arrangements. So I plan to learn how to (at least) shorten skirts and pants, and also hopefully to take in dresses and tops.
7. Go out to dinner for lobster. Never done it. I need to. Self explanatory, I say.
8. Pick blackberries and bake a pie! This was my favorite activity from last summer – I can’t wait to do it again. 🙂
9. Finish season seven of Mad Men. My boyfriend and I were addicted to this show during the school year. Now that it’s warm outside, we’ve been slacking on making sure to catch up.
10. Read. A lot. I’m hoping to get through some cookbooks, “Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures,” “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Joyous Health.”

What are your summer plans?