Foodie Friday - Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars...I've had a love/hate affair with them for years.  I liked the convenience of  having something quick to grab on my way out the door but I tried not to think about the fact that they were mostly sugar of one kind or another and they had very little nutritional value.  A girl could choose to break a tooth on them because they're rock hard or get the softer ones, which are often a sticky sugary mess.   I finally stopped buying them a few years ago.

Well, the other day, I was looking for something quick my DH could grab and eat on the way to work. (he leaves at 4:30 a.m. and honey, I'm NOT cookin' breakfast that early!) and enter The Barefoot Contessa.

Sweet but not too sweet, chewy, crunchy, delicious and packed with whole grains, nuts and dried fruit.   Real food and easy to boot!

I adapted Ina's recipe a bit substituting her dried dates for dried blueberries, slivered almonds instead of sliced and I used my own Homemade Vanilla.    You can find a printable recipe here.

Happy Foodie Friday!  Enjoy!!