Finally - A Snow Day!

Not too much snow but the ice was enough to give me a snow day. I got to use the new mittens and Calorimetry while shoveling. Both worked like a charm to keep my hands and ears warm, which was no easy task with the sleet and snow mix blowing all around. When I came back in I treated myself to this.



As you can see I couldn't wait until after I took the picture to start eating. My oldest, the papa-to-be, gave me the recipe. He makes it for mama-to-be, cuts it up, wraps it in foil, and freezes them. She takes them to work for a healthy snack. If you cut them into 16 bars they're about 75 calories and 8 grams of protein each. The recipe is below.

The Faroe Vine Cardigan is coming along well.



The easy-to-remember vine pattern is a delight. I also love the way Claudia has drafted the pattern to have the vines meet at the raglan decreases. Beautiful, yes?




Blueberry Bars

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground Flaxseed
1/4 cup wheat germ, oat bran, or ground nuts
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
1 1/2 cups white grape juice concentrate
4 tablespoons butter -- melted
2 large eggs -- lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup dried or dehydrated blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 F Lightly coat a nonstick 9-inch square cake pan with vegetable oil cooking spray.

2. Place the whole wheat flour, flaxseed, wheat germ, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a mixing bowl and stir to mix well.

3. Place the grape juice concentrate, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract in another mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on a low speed or with a whisk until well mixed.

4. Slowly add the flour mixture to the grape juice mixture, continuing to beat at a low speed just until thoroughly blended; be careful not to over mix. Gently fold the fresh and dried blueberries into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.

5. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed, about 40 minutes.

6. Let the cake cool slightly in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack to completely cool or let it cool and serve it straight from the pan.