Granola Bar Goodness

I used to be the type of person who had a cup of coffee for breakfast and maybe a piece of fruit that I'd eat while running (usually late) to work. Since finding out about the little nugget, my eating habits have changed a bit, and breakfast has become the (two) most important meal(s) of the day. Yes, I eat breakfast twice. First Breakfast happens right when I wake up - usually consisting of fruit. Second Breakfast comes along an hour or two later, and can vary from cereal to eggs to peanut butter & jelly sandwiches (yes, pb&j is totally a breakfast food).

Last week, I made some homemade granola bars... and they've become my favorite thing to munch on for First Breakfast, along with a sliced up apple and a cup of tea. (They also make a great afternoon snack, usually between Second Lunch and First Dinner).

My inspiration came from here (she, coincidentally, is also expecting her first child), but I tweaked it a bit and omitted a few of her add-ins - and kept my granola bars simple with chocolate chunks and dried cranberries, mostly because that's what I had on hand. Any combination of nuts, dried fruit, or seeds would work great and I plan on playing around with different variations. They're nutritious and just sweet enough (I suggest using the smaller amount of sugar or somewhere in between) and don't come full of all the extra junk store bought granola bars have, which is perfect for me and the little papaya growing in my belly.