Oatmeal Raisin Krunchers

Whew, what a busy weekend I had! It just flew by.

Some of the other military wives and I got together last night at Lips, a restaurant that features drag queen entertainment. My face hurt from laughing so much at the show.

Need I say more? It was hilarious!

After a long hike today with a girlfriend and the puppy and then running some errands, it was dinnertime. I was in one of those moods where I couldn’t decide what to eat, wasn’t starving, and just felt like picking on some things. I settled on a random dinner of hummus + celery, apple with sprinkled cinnamon, some Trader Joe’s English cheddar with caramelized onion cheese and a hunk of multigrain bread.

A few hours later, I wanted to eat something sweet. I decided to try out a recipe from Sun-Maid Raisins that I had ripped out of a magazine.

These oatmeal raisin bars are good as an after-dinner treat, or to stash in your bag for a snack in case you get hungry while you’re on the move.

Raisin Krunchers

Makes 8 bars

1/4 cup peanut butter (Peter Pan reduced fat)

1/4 cup honey

4 TSP light brown sugar

1/2 TSP vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups toasted rice cereal (Rice Krispies)

1 cup old-fashioned oats, dry

1/2 cup raisins (Sun-Maid)

Line a square baking pan with foil (If you’re like me and don’t have one: I used a 13×9 pan and covered half of it with the mixture).

Place peanut butter, honey, and brown sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 2 minutes until bubbly & heated through.

Remove from microwave, then add in vanilla and stir until smooth.

Add cereal, oats and raisins. Stir lightly until mix is evenly combined. Press mixture firmly into pan.

Cool at room temperature or refrigerate. Cut into bars. A few of my bars got a bit crumbly and started to fall apart, but I think they’ll still be yummy!

Nutrition stats per bar: 175 calories, 4 g fat, 32 g carbs, 4 g protein