I feel like I am forever searching for snack and lunch box fare. I am really one of those people who needs to know the ingredients in anything I buy for my family to eat.  However, I would consider myself more “label checker,” than all out “granola.” So, when I find a simplistic recipe requiring little time and can be made from what I already have in my kitchen cabinet, I get EXCITED! I found this recipe on a Facebook page called Saving with Shellie. It is a no bake recipe!  I literally pulled all of this out of my cabinets. As you can see, these are not new boxes and bags.

You will need:

2 cups oats (I used Old Fashioned, recipe called for Quick Oats)

1 cup Rice Krispies Cereal (Generic worked just fine)

1/2 cup flax seed (I used milled and substituted in 1/4 a cup extra of the cereal because my kid’s tummies hate flax seed)

3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Honey

1/4 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

***1/3 cup to 1/2 cup of Mini Chocolate chips (optional, will melt into the mix)

Line an 8×8 pan with wax paper and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together oats, flax seed, and cereal.  In a microwave safe bowl, stir together honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and brown sugar.  Microwave in 30 second intervals stirring each time until smooth and well blended. It took me 1:30.  Now pour the creamy mixture over the dry ingredients and stir together. If you opt for the chocolate chips, add them next. Toss only a few times to prevent them from being totally melted. Finally, pour mixture into wax paper lined pan. Press in with additional wax paper or a rubber spatula. Leave the mixture out to cool for at least an hour before removing from pan to cut into bars.

My husband and kids loved these. They didn’t come from a box in a store, and I know exactly what’s in them. The great thing about a recipe like this is the ability to alter it. It is so easy and really budget friendly. Enjoy!