These are easy to whip up, yummy, and keep for a long time!

 Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw sugar or brown sugar

 1 1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

 1 cup crunchy peanut butter

 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 cups crisp rice cereal

 2 2/3 cups old fashioned oats

 2/3 cup ground flaxseed

mini chocolate chips (measure those babies with your heart)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine your oats, Crispy rice cereal, and ground flaxseed. Stir with a large spoon until well combined. Set aside.

Measure out sugar, peanut butter, honey, coconut oil and salt and place in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring it to a boil. Stirring the whole time...boil for EXACTLY 1 minute so mixture combines and sugars dissolve.

Take pan off the heat and add in the vanilla extract. Stir until smooth. Pour over your oats / rice crispy mixture. Stir until well combined. 

If the mixture is too soft, let it sit for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grab a large baking sheet or add some parchment paper.

Pour out granola bar mixture onto baking sheet. Press onto pan. Tip! Smash down by placing the bottom of a second baking sheet on top and pressing flat. Immediately spread your chocolate chips on the top and press again. Let it cool. 

Once the bars have cooled completely take a knife and cut the bars into the size of your choosing.

I individually wrap the bars in plastic wrap and store in a Tupperware for three-four weeks...if they last that long.

xo Summer

 Here is a great dessert for St. Patrick's Day that literally tastes like a rainbow of Skittles.

Ingredients:

6 (3 ounce) packages Jello in rainbow colors

1 tub (8 ounce) Cool Whip

Instructions:

For each layer, add 1 cup of boiling water to the package of Jello. Stir and dissolve Jello.

Pour 1/2 cup of it into a small glass measuring cup. Add 3 Tablespoons cold water to it. Stir.

Using a whisk, stir 1/3 cup Cool Whip into the other half of the Jello (the half that has the boiling water in it). Stir until combined. 

Pour the creamy Jello layer into your dish. Put in freezer for 12-15 mintues or until the layer is set. 

When the first layer is set, pour second layer on it. Return to freezer for 12-15 minutes.

Repeat process for remaining packages of Jello. Pour creamy layer first and then the clear layer. You should end up with 12 layers. 

Add Cool Whip on top for a dash of "cloud."

Hint: if your freezer is not perfectly level and you end up with a funky first layer, you have two choices... 1) just roll with it by keeping the dish the same each time it goes in the freezer so you end up with perfectly even layers except for that first layer. 2) Rotate the dish each time it goes in the freezer so you end up with a pattern of thick and thin layers. I've done both. I now prefer choice 1 for the rainbow pattern. I might do choice 2 next time I make this with just pinks and reds for Valentines day for a fun twist.