Road Trip Snacks- Granola and Blueberry Muffins

Matt and I just returned from spending a few days on a houseboat in Kentucky and are gearing up for a camping trip in Northern Michigan- what that means is a lot of time in the car! I am a fan of packing my own snacks and only stopping when necessary. Since we had limited fridge space on the boat, and won't have anything to keep things cold besides a cooler while we are camping, it was time to get snacks ready for roadtripping! 

Now that I have shifted away from a Paleo diet, I have been working on a new granola involving less expensive ingredients, like oats, and clumped together more like the kinds you can buy- and this one is one of the best I have ever made. I have always been a fan of making my own granola because 1) it is easy and 2) it is so darn expensive at the store. Do yourself a favor and make your own!

Easy Granola

- 2 Cups Quick-Cooking Oats
- 1/3 Cup Blanched, Sliced Almonds (or any nut chopped fairly small)
- 1/3 Cup Peanut Butter  (If you are going with a "natural" one or a nut/seed butter, pick a thick, non-runny kind)
- 1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- Heavy Sprinkle (1/4- 1/2 tsp) of Cinnamon or Pumpkin Pie Spice

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees

1. Mix together the oats, almonds, salt and spices in a bowl. Melt the peanut butter, vanilla and maple syrup until smooth.

2. Add the PB mixture to the oat mixture and try to cover all the pieces. Spread onto a parchment-lined, or greased, baking sheet and press down slightly with your hands or spatula so it sticks together, this makes for bigger pieces of granola.

3. Bake 18-20 minutes. At the half-way point, turn the granola in large sections if possible and press it together again. Take it out when it is slightly browned, it burns quickly and hardens as it cools so don't walk away! Once it has completely cooled, break it into pieces. I store mine in mason jars.

Kodiak Cake Blueberry Muffins

(Makes 12 muffins)

Kodiak mix is a higher protein, lower carb, "pancake and waffle" flour that is awesome for a variety of recipes, including the donuts I posted about a few weeks ago. It is available at pretty much every grocery store near me now, and even at Costco! It is found near the Bisquick and other pancake powders. I use the higher protein blend. These muffins are not super sweet, which I prefer, but are perfect on the road and easy for Charlie to help me make. 

 - 2 Cups Kodiak Power Cake Mix
- 1 Cup Milk
- 1 Egg
- 1/3 Cup Coconut Sugar (or brown or refined or any kind)
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
- Pinch of Salt

Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Fill a greased or lined muffin tray- they might be close to full and thats ok. Bake 18-20 minutes and remove from the pan for cooling. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings 12.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 111
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 1 g	2 %
Saturated Fat 0 g	1 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 2 mg	1 %
Sodium 141 mg	6 %
Potassium 50 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 11 g	37 %
Dietary Fiber 3 g	14 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 6 g	11 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	2 %
Calcium	6 %
Iron	3 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.