We seem to go through a lot of granola bars in our house! With the rising cost of food, I decided to start making my own for a fraction of the cost (and at least I can control what goes in them.) Here is a great recipe I found in Parenting magazine. I've also experimented by adding a few tablespoons of canned pumpkin puree, dried cranberries, extra wheat germ and less coconut ( to lower the amount of fat), and they still turned out great. My 4-year-old son Luca loves making this with me and loves eating it, too!

"Energy Bark"

1 cup old fashioned oats (I used quick oats and they tasted fine)

1 cup slice almonds

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup wheat germ

2 tbsp whole wheat flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp honey

Heat oven to 325. In a bowl, mix together oats, almonds, coconut, wheat germ, flour, cinnamon. In a small saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and honey: bring to a boil and cook 30 seconds. Pour over oat mixture and stir to combine. Spread on foil lined baking sheet and bake 20 minutes. Let cool completely on baking sheet, then break into pieces. Makes 12 servings.

nutrition info: 153 calories: 4g protein; 9g fat; 17g carb, 32mg calcium; 2g fiber

As far as eating out goes ... we hardly ever eat out. I find I can cook flavorful healthy food at home and I am never really "wowed" by takeout. Takeout is highly overrated! I stock up on artichoke hearts, olives, roasted peppers, and different kinds of pastas for a quick supper. I also try to freeze leftovers if I know we won't be eating them in the next few days. Making a big pot of veggie soup or lentils is nice to have for the week's lunches and costs very little.

Rebecca Nero

Coventry