Chocolate Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Spring is officially here, and that means it's a great time for granola bars, especially homemade one. They're a great after school/work snack, wonderful for breaks whilst hiking, and all around satisfying to eat.

This is another recipe that's been sitting in my archive whilst I wait for decent internet access to bring these to the fore. So here they are. You should make these, and give them to your family and your kids and your coworkers and let them marvel at how awesome they are.
Oh, and as a bonus: they're so simple, it's practically sinful!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups steel rolled or old fashioned oats (do not use instant oats)
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Blend together all the wet ingredients in a bowl.
Add the dry ingredients, mixing until incorporated.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Press the mixture into a brownie pan (I used a 12x8 pyrex dish)
Bake for 12-15 minutes.
Cool on the counter for about five to ten minutes, or until baking dish is handle-able. Place in the refrigerator to cool completely, then cut into individual bars.
Store in the fridge to keep the chocolate from melting.

Notes:
You definitely have to wait until it's totally cooled, or the chocolate will be all melty and you won't be able to cut it effectively.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding (with avocado!)

That's right -- with avocado! Did you know that you could make amazing delicious, and 90% healthy chocolate pudding with an avocado? Until late last year, neither did I!
Oh, don't mind Scrutinizing Vegeta behind the cup, there. He just sits there...judging me.
Anyway, I wanted to make a super quick and delicious little treat to surprise Rich with sometime last year, and after poking around, I discovered that people were making pudding with avocados, and I thought, "Gosh! What a great idea! I have a ripe avocado at home!" So I gathered some ideas and made this pudding. It was so good, and it is definitely everything chocolate pudding should be: dense, rich chocolate-y, and oh-so satisfying. So if you want to try something new, give this a go! I promise you will not be disappointed!

Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado, seed removed
2 tbsp sweet berries, such as raspberries or blueberries
2 tbsp cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark cocoa)
1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:
Mash the avocado, then blend up all the ingredients together in a food processor (or you could whisk it really well).
Serve with fresh berries and a dusting of cocoa powder.

And that's it! It's so easy, it's barely a recipe. Just a quick note: definitely make sure you mash the avocado really really well if you are going to whisk everything together -- you don't want avocado chunks surprising you as you enjoy your treat!