Chewy Nutella granola bars

Working at home has actually made me lazier with my cooking. I used to make sure I had a balanced breakfast and a healthy snack with me on my way out the door. Now if I eat anything before noon I feel accomplished, even if it's just a granola bar. It's so easy to loose track of time or not realize how hungry I am. I think it's because I always feel like I'm doing something worth my time. Working 40 hours a week can sometimes mean having ___ hours of design work, ___ hours of production work, and ___ hours of [drawing blank]???? Or at least that's what my brain would say. "Hey, maybe the closet needs organizing. Nope, did that last week. What about the cutting mat? Do I need to get rid of the paper trimmings? Nope. Oooo! I know! Stretch my legs by doing a lap around the office, maybe even to the deli! Hmmm... no cash." Well, you probably get it. And then I would start to think about food. "When's lunch? If I leave at ___ that means I'll only have ___ hours until I leave. Which then means I'll be hungry at ___ time. Which will give me ___ hours before dinner." I'm pretty sure I can take medication for these in-head conversations. Nowadays I need quick snacks because there's no time to ponder the hunger. Those extra hours I'm not designing, I do what I want. Like poke Cora, she loves it. There's no waiting around until clock-out time doing ___. If you work at Smart and are reading, yes, this did happen to me.

BJ and I have been into granola bars lately. But since they can be a little pricey at $3-4 for a box of 6, I decided to try making them and compare costs. Also, since I'm a picky eater I can put exactly what I want in them. They turned out really good, and were extremely simple.

Chewy Nutella granola bars



3 cups of rolled oats (not instant)
4 cups of assorted mix-ins*
1 can sweetend condesed milk
1/8 cup of molasses**
1/2 cup of Nutella, warmed in microwave

*I used 2 cups dry roasted almonds, and a mixture of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, unsweetened coconut. Some other suggestions are crushed flax seeds, wheat germ, dried fruits, some other nut, pumpkin, cereal, marshmallows...
**Honey would also work. I actually used a little of both.

Combine everything in a bowl. Press into a greased pan and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. I used non-stick foil with cooking spray and it slid off pretty easy. Drizzle on Nutella. Cool on a rack and cut after about 10-15 minutes.

They are delicious, and definitely a cost-cutter!