Clif Bars and Chewy Granola

Last week I posted on my Facebook page that I made my second batch of energy bars and they turned out better than the first.  I've received many requests for the recipe, so rather than sending individually I decided to post it.  There are many variations and my recipe is a blend of a few that I found online.  I'm sure some images would help, so the next batch I make, I'll take some pictures along the way.  If you have any questions or need clarification, just leave a comment.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Rice Crispies (I've heard there are some brown rice crispies but haven't found them)
1 cup rolled Oats (just your standard oat meal)
2 tbsp flax seed (I've also mixed in wheat germ)
1/4 cup Almonds, nuts, seeds (any mixture you'd like)

Based on your preference for bar...
1/4 cup dried fruit (obviously for a fruity one),
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (for peanut butter chocolate chip), or
1/4 cup peanut butter (for peanut butter - in addition to what is listed below)

The "glue"
1/3 cup almond butter (you can also substitute soy nut butter or peanut butter.  Peanut butter is the least healthy but also the least expensive.)
1/4 cup brown rice syrup (you can also use corn syrup though it is not as healthy)
1 tbsp vanilla
2 tbsp brown sugar

The process -
There are 2 variations that I've done.  For a bar that is more similar to a chewy granola bar, just chop up the fruit and nuts a little bit.  However, especially for riding and wanting a denser packing of energy, I like to make them more Clif Bar-like.  Below is how to make them Clif Bar-like (if you dont want that, put away your food processor)

In a food processor combine all of the dry ingredients.  Chop it all up so that it is a thick powder.  Pour into a mixing bowl.

In a saucepan combine the "glue" over medium heat.  Stir constantly and the heat will break down the almond/soy/peanut butter and marry it with the syrup, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Once it is all combined pour over the dry ingredients.  Using a wooden spoon, mix as best as you can.  Then take off any jewelry and get your hands sticky (this is the easiest way to make sure it is all mixed in together).  Lightly oil an 8x8 pan, and pour the mixture into the pan.  Using wax paper (and I've used another bowl or a bread pan) push down and pack the mixture into an even level (typically about 1/2 inch thick).  You want it to be tightly packed to stay together.

Place in refrigerator for approx. 30 minutes to cool/harden.  Remove from refrigerator and pull the bars out of the 8x8 and onto a cutting board (I typically put the 8x8 upside down and if the bars dont just fall out, I'll help pry it from the sides and let gravity do the rest).  Cut into bars the size you want.

Packing:
You can either individually wrap with plastic wrap or place into a pyrex container with wax paper between layers and then grab what you want, when you need it.  Really easy to just toss 1-2 in a plastic bag before a ride.

Enjoy!

Great Riding

The riding has been great these days.  The weather has definitely been crisp, but I've still been out riding.  The morning commute to work can be a bit chilly, but afternoon rides are just fine.  This weekend I got out and did some riding and even at the end of last week, clear skies got me on the road - some days just after work for a quick hour spin, but Friday after finishing up everything at work I took the long way home for an easy 18 miles.  Ended up in some higher traffic areas which then means that based on basic laws of probability that there are more idiots on the road.  Just like there are a few cyclists that drive the stereotype of "cyclists never obey the laws" well there are a few drivers who ruin it for the conscientious cyclists as well.

Friday night my wife's brother had his wedding reception so we left her car at her work so that we could get the carpool lane.  Saturday I took a long meandering ride to get to her work.  Ended up being about 25 miles, but a good 12 of those were going at a 15mph headwind that had 25-30 mph gusts.  Then I had about 2 miles of hills. It was a GOOD workout.  Sunday I got out for a nice spin too, though not as long.

The fraternity that I'm in is actually going to be doing an Alumni Spotlight on me and my fundraising so Sarah took some pictures of me for that.  Here is my favorite:

LIVESTRONG!

Weekend Intervals

Did some good riding this weekend.  The weather was supposed to be pretty nasty with wind and rain, but the rain didn't come until late in the afternoon Saturday and the wind sustained well through the night, which meant the roads were dry by midday on Sunday.  Saturday morning, wanting to catch any bit of the road before the storm blew in, I was sure to head out.  Did a nice 17.22 mile figure 8 near the house so that I was never too far away should the rain start dumping.  The route was great.  Had some nice hills (one that I was glad to be going down, but in the near future I'll challenge in the opposite direction) and some flats too.  I mixed it up and did some intervals as well as a sprint up half of one of my climbs.  Went anaerobic and then wanted to get closer to my threshold to ride the rest of the climb.  No use in beating up my body just to say I sprinted the whole thing right.

The hill on 164th in Snohomish joins my classification as a 50mph hill.  I wasn't pedaling that hard on the first half before the plateau, but the grade on the bottom half was enough to have me at 50+ were I not to start increased feathering as I was approaching the stop sign.  Should be a good climb, but definitely one I'll want to hit early in the morning to avoid traffic.

Sunday I took the same route once we got home from church.  Legs were burning a bit more, but that is a good thing.  Looks like we are in for quite the stretch of rain ahead, but at least the wind will be dying down which means, once my wife's car is out of the shop I should be able to get back on the bike commute.

LIVESTRONG

The Wheels are Turning

Fundraising wheels that is.  I really wanted to track my mileage this year, but I completely forgot about it and don't know if I want to reset it now since I wouldnt be capturing all of them....

...

I had to step away so I now have to catch up with this blog I started yesterday.  I reset my odometer today on my summer bike (still wont capture my rainy day rides, but decided it's worth the journey).

But what about these fundraising wheels.  Sarah's and my creative wheels have been a-spinning for various fundraising options.  Now we need to get some content around them instead of just being the skeleton ideas.  Some will definitely take more work than others.

• Event at Januik Winery - Woodinville (will likely pair with Mike and Patrick)
• Bike-a-thon - Sarah went to Anytime Fitness and they were willing to talk about opportunities to help
• Garage Sale - if you have any items you want to get rid of this spring/summer we are willing to take it
• Bombarding emails
• Reaching out to Black Raven Brewery for some sponsorship

Other ideas we've heard of, could be interesting but would need connections

• Halo or some type of Xbox or Kinect tournament
• Poker tournament
• Free-throw competition at a grade school - "Take a shot at cancer"
• Any opportunity at a bar - "Take a shot at cancer" - different type of shot
• Pool tournament - Wedgewood Alehouse?!?!?! 

I'm sure there are tons of others - if you know any connections or could help out, please let us know.