[Birdseed Bars from my kitchen]
[Burger pic from ohsheglows]
Since I spend ten hours every day tromping around the forest for my job, by the time I get home for dinner I am STARVING and EXHAUSTED (aka cranky). I've been doing a pretty good job of stocking up on huge batches of food over the weekends so I can just heat something up and shove it in my face while I skype Ben. Very romantic, I know.
This week I came across two ridiculously delicious recipes on the web, both of which I've been eating all week without that overdosage feeling that leftover pasta or lentil salad can give you after the third or fourth day. And both recipes replace a more expensive, less delicious store-bought alternative. Hooray!
First of all, we have Birdseed Bars from The Musing Bouche. I eat a ridiculous amount of bars in the field and love them (except for the weird protein bars that taste like dust), but buying granola or especially my beloved Clif bars gets a bit pricey after a while. This birdseed bar recipe makes a huge pan that is lasting me at least two weeks. The bars hold together pretty well, are chewy/crunchy, taste like a cookie, and are all around amazing. Make them. I followed the recipe almost exactly, but I would note that you should check them after 30-35 minutes in the oven (I baked mine for 40 minutes and they were on the verge of overdone-ness). The beauty of the recipe is that you can add whatever mix-ins you like, to get whatever flavor combo you want. I did the traditional nuts/seeds/raisins/chocolate (but I am thinking hazelnut carrot cake in the near future).
Second, I have been in the market for a good veggie burger recipe, since the over-processed-soy nature of store bought vegburgs kind of creeps me out. Angela from Oh She Glows (one of my favorite healthy food blogs) has hit on a winner this Perfect Veggie Burger recipe. Seriously guys. I am obsessed. Ben is worried about me, and he (the carnivore) probably should be because I don't know if I can eat meat again after these burgers. The burgers take a little bit of time to throw together, but you can make them on a Sunday night and have 8-10 burgers to freeze for later. They have a huge variety of ingredients (not just beans!), and cook up more crunchy and solid than typical mushy veg burgers. Also, they are pretty dense and will keep you full for a while.
Let me know if you try these bars/burgers, and if you like them as much as I do make sure to go back to the original blogs and give Tania and Angela some love for their culinary genius!