Goody Two Chews

Thanks again to Janet & Greta Podleski's book Eat, Shrink & Be Merry Cookbook, I have a recipe for home-made granola bars. These were a hit with everyone. They did go fairly soft after a day or two in a storage bag so be sure everyone needs to pack a lunch when you make them.

1/3 cup light peanut butter

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

2 egg whites

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 1/2 cups low-fat granola (they recommend, and I used Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola with Omega-3)

3/4 cup dried cranberries (I used a cranberry, cherry, blueberry mixture)

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, beat together peanut butter and maple syrup on medium speed of electric mixer. Add egg whites and pumpkin pie spice and beat again until smooth.

3. Stir in granola and cranberries. Divide mixture evenly among muffin cups. Bake on middle oven rack for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack before removing clusters from pan. Store in airtight container.

Per cluster:

Calories = 124, total fat = 3.2g, saturated fat = 0.5g, carbohydrate = 22g, fiber = 1.2g, cholesterol = 0mg, sodium = 65mg

CC.