sweets for the sweet

As many of you may know, my family and i have started a new diet--not for weight loss, but to help both my husband and son deal with their sensory issues. It's called the Feingold diet, and i discuss it a bit more here, on my other blog. Basically it's an elimination diet that gets rid of a bunch of chemicals as well as salicylates, which can then be re-introduced later after a baseline is reached. (@6 weeks if we're lucky). We're already starting to notice some subtle results, and i've already targeted some other items that my son, at least, may be sensitive to.

In the end, though, it means a bit more work for me in the kitchen as i begin to make A LOT of things from scratch. So I'll be interspersing my crafty entries with some foodie ones as i begin to experiment with new items.

This weekend, i dove into a granola bars project. My son likes them, and my husband will eat them from time to time. The ones in the store are usually full of high fructose corn syrup, as well as a bunch of other stuff i can't pronounce, so when i saw this recipe on the Feingold bulletin board, i decided to give it a shot.

The recipe itself is pretty simple:

Chewy Granola Bars

1 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/4 t. EACH baking soda & baking powder

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. vanilla

1/4 c. honey

(I usually have to add a little bit of water 'cause they're a bit dry)

Combine all but vanilla & honey. Mix & then add vanilla & honey & water

if needed, mix well again. Press into a greased 8 x 8 pan. Bake at 325

for 18 -20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before cutting.

They baked up pretty easy, and my husband cut them up for me to cool on the rack. As they are here, they are @150calories--but i cut them in half again later so i could put them in the cookie jar. And because i find them to be SUPER sweet. My husband loves them--but he likes sweet stuff. I like sweets too--but only in that opiate combination of fat & sweet. I haven't given any to Benji yet, but I don't see myself snacking on them much. I may try another recipe i found that had a little more substance and a little less sweet.