A Not so Healthy Protein Bar Recipe For My Biking Peeps

Holy moly, took these to Race Like a Girl last night and they were a HIT. I also took them on Spring Training and Ragbrai and used them as a protein bar and they worked extremely well.

They are a bit of a hybrid and every pan is a bit different from the last, so feel free to experiment as your tastes dictate. I've found that the key to their consistency is great ingredients:

2 sticks BUTTER (softened)
1 1/2 pounds of crunchy organic peanut butter (don't skimp or they will be dry)
2 cups white sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
6 free range large eggs
1/4 cup REAL vanilla (pricey but totally worth it)
9 cups of rolled oats
handful of crushed nuts (i used peanuts last night but have used lots of different types)
bag of m&ms (peanut or dark chocolate almond are best, but last night's had plain)
bag of dark chocolate chips

MIX TOGETHER in large bowl and press into a 13 x 9" pan (spray pan first)
Oven: 350 degrees
Bake until golden brown

After removing from the oven, immediately cut around the edges of the pan and remove the "crusts"
Drizzle fresh honey around the perimeter of the pan, as well as over the top.

These also freeze beautifully. Cool to room temp, cut in squares and wrap in saran wrap/freeze INDIVIDUALLY (or they dry out). We took them on Spring training last year and put them in our seat bags as protein bars, and did the same for Ragbrai last year...they keep for several days as they thaw!

ENJOY!

T Says....

We are lamenting a long weekend away from home, our dogs stuck at the kennel a few days, our small family of two humans + two dogs all together again and happily, home.

We sit on separate couches, T and me, a dog for us each. I read the paper and he flips through channels like a 47 year old man, never on one for more than 2.5 seconds.

T says out of the blue: I am so happy we are home. Our dogs love us so much!

I look over the top of the paper at him, smile. He thinks about what he's said for a moment, then adds:

Except Sadie, most of the time I am pretty sure she's just in it for the food!

A Window...to somewhere in rural Ireland

29 Days of Giving: Blah Blah Blah

I am behind.

It seems to be a way of life around these parts. That said, I am not behind in my "29 Days assignment" per se, I am just behind in recording my progress. You see, as I have continued with my challenge, I have come to find that I have no desire to continue to slap up here some ongoing list of 'I gave this', 'I gave that'.

It feels funny.

So I am not going to continue with that nonsense or hold myself to some dumb rule that says I must do so any more. I may record some anecdotal insights and stories instead. I may not.

My friend Steff gave me a Kolbe test the other day and that thing told me that above all else, I am no rule follower. So I have officially decided to stop following them altogether; self imposed and all.

Here is what I can tell you about one of my latest missions. I spent several hours looking for this egg cracking device that is apparently on late at night and advertised as one of those "As Seen on TV" items. I desperately want to find to send to my Grandpa, as he spent a fair amount of time Easter Sunday obsessing about the thing. Except, I CAN'T FIND ONE ANYWHERE.

The As Seen on TV site says: "Sorry folks, park's closed."

No wait, that's a movie. But trust me, those suckers aren't for sale on that website. Help.

*I shot that pic of those trees in Ireland, where they filmed some famous movie. I thought you needed to know that. So there.

29 Days of Giving: Day 7 + 8

Day 7 was about the gift of time, specifically time spent with my kid, and some details of a few hours that were his that I am not comfortable writing about...

Day 8 was again about my kid and time but this time ditching work a few hours to volunteer at his school.

Observations From a Ride...

1. That hurt. Waaaay more than it should.

2. One can ride in a perfect square, as evidenced by a compass on one's handlebars, and yet, because one is Iowa, and because the crops are not yet up, one WILL encounter a head wind in every direction despite wishful thinking to the contrary at every turn.

3. When rolling slowly into a stop light and then trying to perfect (okay, improve upon) a track stand behind a car, it is utterly annoying when that driver begins to rev their engine and spew exhaust in your face. However, because one finds herself in her "happy place," (i.e. on the bike), the resolve to do something about this sudden meal of carbon in the grand scheme of things is, next to nothing.

When said motorist totally f#*ks up said track stand with the carbon sandwich AND by blowing cigarette smoke in the biker/girl's face, the girl goes from calm and collected and in a zen-like trance to fighting pissed in a matter of milliseconds. In fact, she's STILL kicking herself for not decking that chump.

4. Holy shit, what's with all the bugs?

5. There are a lot of golf courses in Iowa. I have heard to be sure, that there are more golf courses per capita in Iowa than anywhere else in America. I passed exactly two while pedaling last evening. I noted that there was not one party of those I saw who were walking. Every single one had a golf cart.

I wonder, is it illegal to walk some golf courses?

Also, I noted with a giggle at the first course and then a belly laugh at the second; there was NOT ONE GOLFER who was lining their shot up nicely on the green or fairway. Every single golfer was hunting for their ball in the tall grass or trees....their carts parked waiting nearby.

6. Motorcycles don't tend to adopt the slight wave to the biking community until much later in the season. It's as though they need to adapt or settle into their leather clad coolness first.

7. I saw many, many motorcycles out on the open road last night. Not a single one wore a helmet. I saw many, many bicycles out on the open road last night. Every single one wore a helmet.

8. Despite the fact that I whole heartedly embraced the suck last night, I arrived home giddy with anticipation over spending many days pounding the pedals with that crew pictured above, especially.

9. It is really astounding what one 80 degree day can do for a community literally buried for six months in snow. It also smells a lot like grilled steak.