Day 2: (Almost) Plastic Free Granola Bars!

I am so incredibly proud of myself for making granola bars from scratch and almost plastic free! I never bake. I hardly ever make anything from scratch.

I went to the bulk barn and asked whether it would be alright if I used my own paper bags. They had no problem, but advised that they were unable to tare their scale according to my bags. I do think that this is something that should be changed since it would encourage people to bring their own containers to the bulk barn instead of relying on plastic bags. Regardless, the weight difference between the paper and plastic bags was negligible, and I walked away with most of the needed ingredients for my granola bars!

The only ingredient that came in plastic was the honey. I tried a few different stores and was not able to find honey in a non-plastic container.  This is something I will have to continue to research.

I slightly modified this recipe to get to the deliciousness that you see above. And of course the raisins, chocolate chips, and pecans are optional. And you can add anything else you want!

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup wheat germ
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup crushed pecans

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup apple sauce

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2) Mix oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins, chocolate chips, pecans, and salt.

3) Make a well in the center of mixture and pour in honey, egg, oil, vanilla extract, and apple sauce.

4) Mix using your hands (fun!!) and flatten into baking pan.

5) Bake for 25 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and cut bars while they are still warm. 

6) Enjoy!!