Rice Krispies Granola Bars

It's been a while since I've posted, mostly because I kind of gave up on posting recipes.. and I always forget to post the pictures!! I will have to remake some of the food just so that I can post pics for everyone to see, and that my food can actually look pretty good ;).

So today is a lazy day, and I have several of those a week, by the way. After work I didn't feel like doing much at all, so I sat down and read for a bit. Oh and I am re-reading a book (it's that good!) called 'The Storyteller' by Jodi Picoult. It captivated me as soon as I started the first chapter. In case you haven't read it , it's about a Jewish baker who befriends an elderly man who turns out to be a former Nazi. Who is also connected to her grandmother's past. It is a really good read , and has a lot of *true* details about what happened during the war. I highly recommend it!

Just reading the book got me in the mood for baking, so I decided to bake some healthy 'granola' bars! Oat free, flour free and dairy free. I hope you enjoy these on this lovely Monday evening .. mine are still cooling on the rack.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rice krispies cereal
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried mangos
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup shredded dried sweetened coconut
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup honey
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a separate smaller bowl, combine peanut butter, honey, veg. oil, and vanilla then melt in the microwave for 1- 1/2 minutes.
3. Add egg to the peanut butter mixture and whisk.
4. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and fold in the brown sugar.
5. Pack the granola bar mixture tightly into a baking dish, I used a 9x12 since the mixture makes so much.
6. Bake for 15-25 minutes or until mixture is golden brown and crispy on top.
7. Let cool for 1-2 hours then cut into squares!