It's finally camping season in Ontario. I love camping and when my youngest son was three years old we bought our first tent. It was fun, for a while, but over the years we gradually upgraded to an RV. For me, camping is all about being outdoors and taking the time to unwind. One year, after we sold our home in April in British Columbia, we decided to go on a camping trip for a couple of months across America. Along the way, we stopped at different campgrounds and my favorite ones are always National Parks, they are spectacular. Being in the woods is so therapeutic.
Food is a big part of the whole camping experience. I like to keep things simple for lunch, we usually have hummus or lentil soup. At night we like tacos, pasta, or chicken dishes. With a little planning these meals are all quick to prepare.
Food is a big part of the whole camping experience. I like to keep things simple for lunch, we usually have hummus or lentil soup. At night we like tacos, pasta, or chicken dishes. With a little planning these meals are all quick to prepare.
When we go for a long hike or bike ride, we like to bring snacks with us. I like to bag nuts, dried fruits and bring granola bars. Homemade ones are much better, in my opinion, than any packaged bars you will find at the store. Those at the store are quick and convenient but I like to know what ingredients I'm eating. These Chewy Granola Bars are really nice to bring for any outdoor activity, but also for work, school and trips.
These bars use Corn Flakes but my box was empty, so I replaced them with Shreddies, Rice Krispies and oats. I like the fact that you can make it your own. Since we only had dried cranberries in the house, I omitted the dried apricots and raisins. This is a no bake recipe, it's done in no time. I keep them in a hermetic container and they stay fresh for days. You don't want to skip the extra step of toasting your nuts, it maximizes the crunchiness of these bars.
CHEWY GRANOLA BARS
Ingredients:
7 cups corn flakes
1/2 cup each chopped dried apricots, dried cranberries and raisins
1/2 cup each sliced almonds and chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 cup each sunflower seeds and sweetened flaked coconut
1/3 cup butter
1 pkg. (400 g) Jet-Puffed Marshmallows
4 oz. (1/2 of 225-g pkg.) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, chopped
3 oz. (1/2 of 180-g pkg.) Baker's White Chocolate, chopped
Directions:
1- In a large bowl combine corn flakes, dried fruits, nuts and flaked coconut.
2- In a large microwaveable bowl melt the butter on high, approx. 30-45 seconds.
3- Add Marshmallows and microwave for approx. 1 minute or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended.
4- Pour over corn flake mixture, mix well. Stir in chopped chocolates.
5- Press onto bottom of foil-lined 13-9 pan sprayed with cooking spray.
6- Cool before cutting into bars.
Disclosure: I am a Kraft Canada #WhatsCooking contributor.
