A little more than two weeks ago, I made a major decision. …

This Midwestern, medium-rare steak eatin’, food lovin’ girl gave up meat.

It wasn’t a decision made lightly. And it wasn’t based on animal rights – not that I think there is anything wrong with that. I chose to give up meat because I have struggled with stomach pains for about seven years now. I’ve seen a number of doctors, but to no avail.

SO, I’ve finally decided to make major dietary changes to help me identify the types of foods that cause my pains. After my body adjusts to a vegetarian diet without any issues, I’ll slowly reintroduce different meats. I already had suspicions that red meat was part of the problem. I guess I’ll find out soon enough!

The hardest part of becoming a vegetarian isn’t giving up meat. It’s finding easy, quick and appetizing recipes!

I was lucky enough to find a really great recipe for homemade granola bars. These bars are cheap, simple and don’t take much time to make. And you can make them as (un)healthy as you’d like.

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients2 1/2 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups oats
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries, raisins, cherries and prunes)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla

Recipe

1. Mix the Rice Krispies, Oats, cinnamon, dried fruit and chocolate chips together in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan, add the honey and brown sugar. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
3. Remove honey and brown sugar mixture from heat and mix in the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Pour the peanut butter/sugar mixture over the dry ingredients and blend well.
5. Line a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with wax paper. And pour the granola mix into the dish. Use a spatula to spread out evenly.
6. Set the dish aside so the mix cools completely. This will take around one hour.
7. After the mix is set, use a pizza cutter (or any knife) to cut out the bars. Bag or wrap immediately and place in fridge or cupboard.