Happy President's Day

The last time I made something that a president loved it was back when GW Bush beat John Kerry in the presidential election. I am a die hard Democrat, so it killed me to have to make GW Bush's favorite cookies..... cowboy cookies. But, I made them as a good will offering to my Republican sister-in-law and her husband. They were good anyways. So, today, I wanted to make the Obama family's favorite snack, homemade granola bars. They are healthy and so good. Kids really liked them. I really respect what Michelle Obama is trying to do in America with her Get Moving program. I think it's great that they are sharing their healthy recipes with all of America.

Here is the recipe:

White House Granola Bars

6 tbsp. canola oil

2 c. rolled oats

1/2 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 c. honey

1/3 c. dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

pinch of salt

1 c. mixed dried fruit

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix oil, sugar, maple syrup, honey, salt, and cinnamon in a pot over low heat. Cook till combined..not boiling.

Mix granola, dried fruit, and seeds together

Add wet ingrediants to dry and mix.

Put in a greased 8 X 8 or 9 X 9 inch pan.

Cook 20-25 minutes and let cool completely before cooking.

* You could mess with the recipe by adding pistacios or any other nut, 1 tbsp of nut butter, or even chocolate chips*

French Toast Friday

We have a tradition in our house. Similar to Scone Sunday, we have French Toast Fridays. I love making french toast. Mostly because Jackson loves it, even though it has eggs in it. I have tried making baked french toast before but it never turns out as good as frying it. I do have a few healthy sneak-ins added to my french toast for a bit of a nutrition punch.

2 eggs

2 tbsp rice milk (or milk of your choice)

dash of cinnamon

1 small container of sweet potato or squash baby food

sprinkle of wheat germ

coconut oil

beat 2 eggs with milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and baby food ( I promise, they

won't taste the baby food)

Melt coconut oil in pan

Dip bread into egg mixture, put in hot pan and sprinkle top with wheat germ. Flip when ready and serve with syrup.

I have a problem with syrups. Pure maple syrup is expensive and very high in sugar and other maple syrups, like Eggo, isn't even really maple syrup...it is mostly high fructose corn syrup with maple flavoring (yuck). So, I made a compromise. Log cabin make a brand called

All Natural and it's brown rice syrup. It is less sugar, has no fake sugars in it, and tastes good.