Gooey Popcorn

4 bags microwave popcorn, popped
1 (16 oz) package mini marshmallows
1 cup butter 

1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Pop popcorn and pour in marshmallows.  Heat rest of ingrideints on stove top once melted and blended, pour over popcorn and marshmallows and gently stir to coat

Power Balls

1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 C.oats(pulse in blender)
1 C. Peanut butter
2/3 C. Honey
1/2 C. Shredded coconut
1/2 C. Mini Chocolate chips
1/8 C. Chia seeds
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of sea salt

Pumpkin Seeds

Take the guts from your pumpkin, separate the seeds and rinse them off.

Spread them out on a cookie sheet.
Spritz with cooking spray
Sprinkle with:
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
and a pinch of  Chili Powder.

Roast at 325 for 10 minutes.

Honey Nut Granola

Ingredients
4 cups rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2.In a large bowl, stir oats, nuts and sunflower kernels together. In a separate bowl, mix together oil, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Add to dry ingredients; mix well. Spread mixture onto two ungreased baking sheets.
3.Bake in preheated oven, for 10 minutes, remove from oven and stir. Return to oven and continue baking until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before storing.

Candy Popcorn

2 cubes butter
2 batches popcorn
3 c marshmallows
½ c Karo Syrup
1 c sugar

Mix ingredients together and heat, pour over popcorn

Soft Caramel Pop Corn

Here is a super easy microwave recipe for soft caramel pop corn.

Popped Pop Corn (1/2 cup kernels)
1 cube butter or margarine
10 large marshmallows
1 cup brown sugar

Cook on medium for 3 minutes in microwave.  Stir well and pour over pop corn.

Chocolate-Banana Protein Bars

Recipe from "Tasty Fat Loss & Muscle Gaining Recipes":

Chocolate-Banana Protein Bars
8 Bars

Ingredients
2 large, ripe bananas (about 300 g)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large raw egg whites
4 oz. nonfat milk
2 1/2 c. (200 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 c. Splenda
1 tbsp. olive oil
60 g chocolate Designer Whey (or equivalent brand/flavor)


Directions
Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Pour into non-stick cake pan. Bake
at 300o F for 25 minutes or until firm. Let cool slightly before cutting.
We have made these into 8 small bars, but you could easily make into
4 larger ones, with double the protein (e.g., 23 g protein per bar).
If you don’t want the fat replace the oil with unsweetened applesauce.
It will taste just as good and still retain the moist but firm texture.


Nutritional Information
Calories (Per bar): 190
Protein (g): 11
Carbohydrates (g): 28
Fat (g): 4.6
Carb - Protein - Fat % Ratio: 57% - 22% - 21%

Homemade Granola (lowfat)

This is good stuff!!! I have made it a bunch of times and the whole family loves it either in milk like cereal or in yogurt! And it's good for you, too!

Granola
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (raw...I have used the roasted/salted kind and it was fine)
1 cup nuts (chopped or sliced) (I've used sliced almonds once and pecans, too)
1/3 cup milled flax seeds (optional...good for your brain, though!)
3/4-1 cup coconut (sweetened or not, either will work)
4 cups regular oats
1 cup dried fruit (blueberries are our favorite) (optional)

Mix oats, nuts, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and coconut in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl mix oil, water, brown sugar, honey, salt, and applesauce, Heat until just boiling ( I do it in the microwave, about 2 minutes or so) Pour over oats mixture. Spread in 1 large cookie sheet. and bake for 30-45 minutes at 325 degrees. During baking you need to take it out every 10 minutes and mix/stir it up to make sure it all browns evenly. You want it a light brown color. Cool completely and add dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Really, this is good and you can even double the recipe and make two pans. I'd love to hear if you make it and how you like it!!!

Quick, Easy & Creative Granola Bar Recipe!

I found this on a favorite site of mine... Hip2Save!  I don't know how healthy they are... but they sound good!  :)

These granola bars are a favorite recipe in my household. They are very kid friendly to make and do not require baking. It takes minutes to whip up a batch but keep in mind that sometimes it takes minutes for the batch to disappear into hungry mouths. I like to double the recipe so that they last more than a day! You may individually freeze them using small zip-lock snack bags to put them into the kiddo’s lunch boxes. By the time the lunch hour rolls around they are thawed and ready to eat! (They typically thaw with in one hour.) I encourage you to get creative with the “add-ins” (chocolate chips, raisins, coconut, etc.) to create a bar that is your own personal favorite. So long as you keep the wet to dry ratio the same the possibilities are endless. I’ve included two varieties that I enjoy along with a list of other ingredients you may want to try. Have fun and be daring!!

Chocolate Chip, Coconut & Peanut Bars

• 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 2 cups old fashion oats
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup packed coconut
• 1/4 mini chocolate morsels
• 1/4 peanuts

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the rice cereal and oatmeal. Grease or line a 9×13 inch pan. (I prefer to line the pan with saran wrap because it makes for easy clean up.)

Mix brown sugar, honey and peanut butter in a small sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until just boiling. Add to cereal mixture along with vanilla extract, cinammon, salt, peanuts, coconut and chocolate chips.

Press into the prepared pan using a spatula, spoon or your hands (like I do). Set aside to cool, then cut into bars.

Cranberry, White Chocolate & Almond Bars

• 2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
• 2 cups old fashion oats
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup packed cranberries
• 1/4 white chocolate morsels
• 1/4 almond pieces

Directions:
In a large bowl combine the rice cereal and oatmeal. Grease or line a 9×13 inch pan. (I prefer to line the pan with saran wrap because it makes for easy clean up.)

Mix brown sugar, honey and almond butter in a small sauce pan. Stir over medium heat until just boiling. Add to cereal mixture along with vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, almond pieces, cranberries and while chocolate morsels.

Press into the prepared pan using a spatula, spoon or your hands (like I do). Set aside to cool, then cut into bars.

TIPS:

• To keep chocolate from melting into mixture try freezing it first as well as adding the morsels towards the end of mixing process.
• Once the bars have cooled I place a cutting board on top of my pan and then flip the pan upside down onto the cutting board. I can then lift the pan off, remove the saran wrap, and cut into bars.
• Bars taste great if frozen…. Once thawed they retain the chewy texture however I would avoid refrigerating the bars as this seems to dry them out.
• To keep fresh store at room temperature in a sealed container.
• Try swapping out the crispy rice for cereal that you already have on hand… corn flakes, cheerios, etc.

Fun “Add-Ins” to experiment with:

Chocolate morsels, M&M’s, peanut butter chips, butterscotch chips, dried cranberries, raisins, dates, dried apricots, coconut, peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, flax seed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, toffee pieces…