I started off 2016 with Hallie, my 2 year old, on my back. We dug out the baby carrier (the one she hated as a baby), put on our winter gear, and went out for a hike along the Mississippi. It was a warm winter day. Sunny but crisp, and cold enough to keep the fresh fallen snow fluffy. Hallie had been her typical twonager self that morning—grumping around about this and that. I’m sure I didn’t sound all that different. We were trudging through life. In that moment, I made a promise to myself. We would thrive this year.
This post is sponsored by naturally delicious Justin’s.
“Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming,” I told myself. I thought things would eventually get better on their own. After having Hallie, I never properly readjusted my schedule. I kept everything from before—co-running a small design business with Erin and feeding this space (a space that’s been with me almost as long as my beloved marriage)—and added on the task of caring for a tiny human. From home. While working. That’s not smart.
I was the first to go on the schedule.
I put my workouts on a shelf to collect a lot of dust. The pounding of running had always been my free therapy. I gave it up after swearing I wouldn’t. I worked at night until I got too tired. Then I started vegging out on the fictional lives of all my new favorite shows. My new form of therapy. I worked through the weekends, canceled the dentist appointment, and never scheduled the doctors appointment. I cut my own hair too. (It actually turned out well.) We survived for a really long time.
You can only lean in so far until you fall over.
In an effort to take better care of our lives, Erin and I decided to close down that business we started. We’re redesigning our own blogs now. (Mine just went live!) I’ve worked out more times this month than I did all of last year, made it two weekends without working, and just hired a part-time nanny. (She bakes pies too!)
As we trudged through the fluffy snow on the fifth of January, the sun burned off any lingering grumbles in our bones. We saw an eagle, the pale blue hues of the Mississippi’s semi-frozen waters, a woodpecker, and two tiny dogs. We felt alive again.
I am a non-negotiable. You are too. We’re so worth being taken care of. This is not a new concept, but a hard one. When we take care of ourselves, we’re better for everyone else. I’ve been taking extra good care of myself lately with these No-Bake Peanut Butter Granola Bars made with Justin’s. They’re heavy in natural protein, sweetened with honey, and laced with fiber-filled oats. But it’s in the glaze that I’m really caring for myself—a solid layer of Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. Don’t fight the weakening knees. They’re to be expected. Because these bars are a non-negotiable too, we made a how-to video for you.
Line an 8 x 8″ pan with parchment or wax paper for easy removal. Set aside.
Into a large bowl, add oats, Justin’s Peanut Butter, honey, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together until evenly combined. Note: if your coconut oil is too solid, it will be difficult to incorporate evenly. Heat it slightly before adding into the mixture.
Pour mixture into pan and spread evenly using a spatula. For less mess, place a square of wax paper over the top. Press mixture down to compact. Place in freezer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, whisk together Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter and melted coconut oil until smooth. Once the timer goes off, pour glaze over bars and smooth with an offset spatula. Garnish as desired. Place in fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Carefully remove from the pan by loosening the edges with a thin spatula or knife. Cut into bars or squares. Serve chilled. Store covered in fridge for about a week or in the freezer for about 2 months.
Notes
• For added flavor, lightly toast oats in two melted tablespoons of salted butter until just fragrant. Use as directed in the recipe.
• If using a pan larger than 8 x 8″, just go ahead and double that coveted glaze.
• Sara from Sprouted Kitchen made these, substituting half the oats for rice crisps. Love the added crunch. See here.
• This recipe was tested with Justin’s. Other nut butters may yield different results.
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Recipe developed by Julianna Abdallah from Justin’s.
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These are delicious!! My girls (2 & 5) love them. They’re very similar to the peanut butter honey oatmeal snack balls our family loves to make, but those have no oil and these seem to have a lot. Can you give me more info on its purpose – holding together better, richer taste? Unless it’s major I’d like to experiment with less but don’t want it to flop.
Also, thanks for the rest of your post. I’ve been working part-time for the past year after full-time parenting, and I still haven’t reached a balance.
I have made these every single week since you posted them in February. No joke. For fun, I have tried using apricot jam in place of honey, using half cheerios in place of oats, maple syrup in place of honey, and the best way to make them is just as your recipe states! I look forward to one every day!
I loveloveLOVE Justin’s everything and I’m dying because you put two of their flavors together. Totally kicks chocolate and peanut butter up a notch. And I so appreciate your message. We put ourselves at the bottom of our own priority lists way too often, and sometimes we need a reminder that that is not okay.
Thank you. After stumbling across your blog via Instagram, an interest in a recipe turned out to be a message I really needed to hear today. I’ve just survived my first month back at work with a 7 month old at home and there’s been too much emphasis on the surviving for my liking! The sentiments in your post are my thoughts exactly on going forward. Let’s thrive rather than just survive!
That’s huge! I feel like that first year is totally survival mode. The interrupted sleep made us not the best versions of ourself. I hope you get strong moments of thriving. It’s good for the soul. xo
i’ve loved this post, it was a really beautiful and inspiring thing to share. thank you for that. it was the first time i’ve read through your blog and i couldn’t wait to get started with these bars, because they look so awesome. but i have to say something went wrong along the way, the texture is nice and crips but the flavor is kind of blend. i live in portugal where there’s no Justine’s, but i’ve used organic peanut butter and my favorite chocolate and hazelnut spread, so i don’t really know what i’ve could done differently. the only thing i’ve noticed is that it looked moister than yours, and therefore maybe it was a little over done with the peanut butter, but i thought that would just made the flavor stronger. can you think of anything that might have been wrong? i’m sorry if i wasn’t very clear, but i’m also confused about the result, i thought peanut butter and chocolate was a sort of impossible to fail combination. thanks in advance!
Hey Sara! Thanks for writing! A couple thoughts, using a different peanut butter could cause different results since there’s so much of it in the recipe—from consistency to flavor. But I totally understand Justin’s is not available everywhere. I like to make these with their honey peanut butter for extra sweetness then add a bit of salt. At room temperature, these are very soft. We serve them chilled or even frozen. Sara from Sprouted Kitchen made these and added in rice crisps for half the oats. That might help with the texture issue you’re experiencing. Or you might want to try using a little less peanut butter. I’m going to update the recipe to note some of these things as I’ve only tested them with Justin’s. Thanks again for your note! Will you let me know if you end up making any modifications? I’d love to hear!
Thank you Melissa! I usually like what Sarah does, so I guess i will give it a try and see what happens. Also i think i’ll add a extra bit of honey, for sweetness. I will let you know how it goes 🙂
Can you send a screenshot to [email protected]? I’m unable to produce the issue but I just redesigned my site so there might be a kink! It’s 1/3 cup of both the honey and hazelnut butter.
YYYEEESSS! Go girl! Loved this post. Every so often I’ll get in a long pattern of not putting myself first (I think many women can relate to this) and then get this strong urge to start fresh and get into a new routine that works in some “me time.” And with that new routine there’s this sense of pride and confidence that emerges and it just feels SO good. So cheers to you!!
Well said. This whole post. It is the hardest thing in the world to think about ourselves when all that other “stuff” is going on. It is truly a mindful habit we all to learn and implement daily. Kudos to you and thank you for inspiring me a little bit more this weekend. 🙂 AND the bars look amazing!
I’m making these bars, now at 35 weeks pregnant, and I appreciate the message as well. I see other new moms ‘do it all’ and have to consistently remind myself that I don’t need to do it all too. Even before the baby is here, I feel like I can’t keep up like I could before I was pregnant and sometimes feel bad or guilty but reminders like this are very helpful! I have to take care of myself to do a good job of taking care of my new baby too!
Why is it so easy to put everything in front of taking care of ourselves? I’m working hard to be better to myself now that I’m a mom of two. So happy to hear you’re finding better work/life balance. Good for you!! Though selfishly I’m sad WSK is no more, I was hoping you’d redesign my site this year. 🙂
I can’t believe your little one is two years old !! I remember you posting about the ‘upcoming birth’ and wondering how you were going to Do It All… but I had no idea that you were doing… have been doing… and just gave up doing… so very much!! You still have a lot on our plate but, hopefully, now you’ll have a bit more time for yourself. And I loved your description of the walk you took along the river!!! ; o )
I love the new design! So many little details and it all comes together so well. Happy to hear that you’ve been taking care of yourself too… I really was so completely mystified as to how you and Erin did it all. Love the choc hazelnut on top of these bars- Justin’s is my fave too.
I love this, I have all the ingredients at home! Totally going to make these this week! Probably just going to top them off with dairy-free chocolate chips instead of the spread, cause I don’t have that hazelnut butter but I will definitely get that for next time!
“I am non-negotiable. You are too.” Thank you. We create a virtue around doing more and giving less to ourselves. I find myself getting annoyed when I take time to browse a magazine or sleep in rather than being “productive” all the time and it’s toxic. Thank you for the reminder today.
This post completely resonates with me. I sometimes feel that I am constantly doing things for others and but myself on the back burner. We all need to take more time to do what makes us happy and I am so glad to hear you are doing that for yourself in 2016! And the site looks fantastic (as do these granola bars!).
Thank you for this. My 4 week old is slumbering but I’m already wondering “How will I get my haircut?!?” along with a sundry of other queries. This is totally a recipe I can make con il bambino <3
I love this post. It echoes the sentiments of so many working parents. It’s such a hard (seemingly selfish) thing to do, but we all need to advocate for ourselves more often. Kudos, Melissa! P.S. the new site looks is totally you – bright, minimalist and welcoming.
These sound brilliant. definitely gonna be giving these a go. Thanks simon
These are delicious!! My girls (2 & 5) love them. They’re very similar to the peanut butter honey oatmeal snack balls our family loves to make, but those have no oil and these seem to have a lot. Can you give me more info on its purpose – holding together better, richer taste? Unless it’s major I’d like to experiment with less but don’t want it to flop.
Also, thanks for the rest of your post. I’ve been working part-time for the past year after full-time parenting, and I still haven’t reached a balance.
I have made these every single week since you posted them in February. No joke. For fun, I have tried using apricot jam in place of honey, using half cheerios in place of oats, maple syrup in place of honey, and the best way to make them is just as your recipe states! I look forward to one every day!
I loveloveLOVE Justin’s everything and I’m dying because you put two of their flavors together. Totally kicks chocolate and peanut butter up a notch. And I so appreciate your message. We put ourselves at the bottom of our own priority lists way too often, and sometimes we need a reminder that that is not okay.
Thank you. After stumbling across your blog via Instagram, an interest in a recipe turned out to be a message I really needed to hear today. I’ve just survived my first month back at work with a 7 month old at home and there’s been too much emphasis on the surviving for my liking! The sentiments in your post are my thoughts exactly on going forward. Let’s thrive rather than just survive!
That’s huge! I feel like that first year is totally survival mode. The interrupted sleep made us not the best versions of ourself. I hope you get strong moments of thriving. It’s good for the soul. xo
dear melissa,
i’ve loved this post, it was a really beautiful and inspiring thing to share. thank you for that.
it was the first time i’ve read through your blog and i couldn’t wait to get started with these bars, because they look so awesome. but i have to say something went wrong along the way, the texture is nice and crips but the flavor is kind of blend. i live in portugal where there’s no Justine’s, but i’ve used organic peanut butter and my favorite chocolate and hazelnut spread, so i don’t really know what i’ve could done differently. the only thing i’ve noticed is that it looked moister than yours, and therefore maybe it was a little over done with the peanut butter, but i thought that would just made the flavor stronger. can you think of anything that might have been wrong? i’m sorry if i wasn’t very clear, but i’m also confused about the result, i thought peanut butter and chocolate was a sort of impossible to fail combination.
thanks in advance!
Hey Sara! Thanks for writing! A couple thoughts, using a different peanut butter could cause different results since there’s so much of it in the recipe—from consistency to flavor. But I totally understand Justin’s is not available everywhere. I like to make these with their honey peanut butter for extra sweetness then add a bit of salt. At room temperature, these are very soft. We serve them chilled or even frozen. Sara from Sprouted Kitchen made these and added in rice crisps for half the oats. That might help with the texture issue you’re experiencing. Or you might want to try using a little less peanut butter. I’m going to update the recipe to note some of these things as I’ve only tested them with Justin’s. Thanks again for your note! Will you let me know if you end up making any modifications? I’d love to hear!
Thank you Melissa! I usually like what Sarah does, so I guess i will give it a try and see what happens. Also i think i’ll add a extra bit of honey, for sweetness. I will let you know how it goes 🙂
I’m not seeing a number (amount) next to the honey or the Hazelnut Butter (just a blank square); how much do you use?
Can you send a screenshot to [email protected]? I’m unable to produce the issue but I just redesigned my site so there might be a kink! It’s 1/3 cup of both the honey and hazelnut butter.
YYYEEESSS! Go girl! Loved this post. Every so often I’ll get in a long pattern of not putting myself first (I think many women can relate to this) and then get this strong urge to start fresh and get into a new routine that works in some “me time.” And with that new routine there’s this sense of pride and confidence that emerges and it just feels SO good. So cheers to you!!
These look so delicious and easy to make!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
Well said. This whole post. It is the hardest thing in the world to think about ourselves when all that other “stuff” is going on. It is truly a mindful habit we all to learn and implement daily. Kudos to you and thank you for inspiring me a little bit more this weekend. 🙂 AND the bars look amazing!
I so, so feel this post. And I so need to make these ASAP.
I’m making these bars, now at 35 weeks pregnant, and I appreciate the message as well. I see other new moms ‘do it all’ and have to consistently remind myself that I don’t need to do it all too. Even before the baby is here, I feel like I can’t keep up like I could before I was pregnant and sometimes feel bad or guilty but reminders like this are very helpful! I have to take care of myself to do a good job of taking care of my new baby too!
“We’re so worth being taken care of.” — I SO needed to read this right now. You’re a hero! xo
You’re the hero—doing the hardest work right now with two tiny babes. xoxo
Why is it so easy to put everything in front of taking care of ourselves? I’m working hard to be better to myself now that I’m a mom of two. So happy to hear you’re finding better work/life balance. Good for you!! Though selfishly I’m sad WSK is no more, I was hoping you’d redesign my site this year. 🙂
I can’t believe your little one is two years old !! I remember you posting about the ‘upcoming birth’ and wondering how you were going to Do It All… but I had no idea that you were doing… have been doing… and just gave up doing… so very much!! You still have a lot on our plate but, hopefully, now you’ll have a bit more time for yourself. And I loved your description of the walk you took along the river!!! ; o )
I love the new design! So many little details and it all comes together so well. Happy to hear that you’ve been taking care of yourself too… I really was so completely mystified as to how you and Erin did it all. Love the choc hazelnut on top of these bars- Justin’s is my fave too.
I love this, I have all the ingredients at home! Totally going to make these this week! Probably just going to top them off with dairy-free chocolate chips instead of the spread, cause I don’t have that hazelnut butter but I will definitely get that for next time!
Beautiful bars and such a great message! Thanks for sharing.
“I am non-negotiable. You are too.” Thank you. We create a virtue around doing more and giving less to ourselves. I find myself getting annoyed when I take time to browse a magazine or sleep in rather than being “productive” all the time and it’s toxic. Thank you for the reminder today.
These bars sound magical to me! Love that topping!
This post completely resonates with me. I sometimes feel that I am constantly doing things for others and but myself on the back burner. We all need to take more time to do what makes us happy and I am so glad to hear you are doing that for yourself in 2016! And the site looks fantastic (as do these granola bars!).
Thank you for this. My 4 week old is slumbering but I’m already wondering “How will I get my haircut?!?” along with a sundry of other queries. This is totally a recipe I can make con il bambino <3
I love this post. It echoes the sentiments of so many working parents. It’s such a hard (seemingly selfish) thing to do, but we all need to advocate for ourselves more often. Kudos, Melissa! P.S. the new site looks is totally you – bright, minimalist and welcoming.