Oatmeal raisin granola bars

I'll admit, I'm not always the healthiest of eaters. Sometimes, it's just not that easy for such a picky person as myself. With that being said, I do want to instill my little one with better eating habits then I embody. That's where these granola bars come in.

To tell you the truth, I'm not the biggest fan of most granola bars. The  only ones I went crazy for as a kid were the Sunbelt chocolate chip variety. Those were awesome. Chocolate chip with a slight coconuty undertone. Mmmmm. Come to think of it, I don't know why I haven't made my own version of those yet! Anyways, a while back I stumbled upon these oatmeal raisin granola bars by Ina Garten, and decided to give them a try.

These granola bars are so good. I love that you get all the goodness of a healthy, tasty snack, yet can take comfort in knowing that they are much healthier for you than other store-bought "healthy foods" of the same variety. These babies are easy to whip up to, which,  in case I haven't reiterated that enough, makes me one very happy momma on those days where Lorelai is running rampant! Gotta love it!

 Oatmeal raisin granola bars:
Recipe adapted from Ina Garten's homemade granola bars

• 2 cups of old fashioned or quick-cooking oats
• 1 cup granola (optional) Note: you don't need to add this, since you're making it. I just had some leftover.
• 1 cup  sweetened, shredded coconut
• 2/3 cup of honey
• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. On  a baking sheet, toss together the oats, granola, and shredded coconut. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter, honey, sugar, and vanilla over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about a minute. Pour butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated with the oats. Stir in the raisins. Line a 7x11 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Pour mixture into the baking dish and press into the dish evenly. Bake in the oven or25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown. Let cool at least 3 hours before cutting into. Serve or wrap in plastic wrap until ready to eat!