The Ice Breakerrrrr

This is officially my first EVER blog experience! I recently started reading some other user's blogs (mostly to find recipe ideas) and decided I would give it a shot. I never..and I mean NEVER..thought I would be doing this! Just shows you how much extra time I have now that I am in between college and finding a "real" full time job. Okay, here's the real truth...I sort of started thinking about starting a blog to share recipes, because such blogs were the first blogs I started reading and cooking is something I LOVE to do! Compared to many of the cooking blogs I have read and am following, I've got a lot of learning to do:) I am a beginner, but you have to start somewhere right?! Cooking is one of my hobbies, so I figure why not spend some of my extra time and devote it to sharing what recipe's I've discovered and things I have tried. Any recipes I test out I usually try to put a healthy spin on them, but still want them to taste good! I have always grown up cooking with my mom..and dad..and as I've gotten older and lived on my own, have realized I really, really enjoy it. I've experimented on roomates, boyfriends, friends, and family, and now I guess this is an opportunity to write some of them down. Wish me luck!

First... A little about Laurena Doone:
My real name is Lauren. NOT Laurena Doone ;) The name goes back to when I was a little tyke and my dad, Greg, used to call me Laurena Doone after the cookies called Lorna Doone. I thought it was fitting for my page, because he still calls me it every once in a while. Also, because it's after COOKIES:) It seemed fitting since I will be sharing recipes.

Anyway..I am 22 years old, graduated May '09 from University of South Dakota with a Dental Hygiene degree. Now..I am on the job hunt for a full time Dental Hygiene position and working part time in the mean time.




I love my family! My parents are two of my favorite people and I am realizing as I get older just how LUCKY I am to have them.(I have always known they are great parents of course). My sister, Hilary is 29 and has 3 kidos who keep her busy day in and day out!

(My parents, sister, and I--Greg, Hilary, Me, Lynn)





This is my boyfriend Trevor and I.
I am so blessed to have met such an amazing person that shares the same interests, viewpoints, and values that I do. I met Trevor this past January and have spent nearly every day with him since. I have made so many memories with him so far, have had a blast, and can't wait for our future together.







My first posted recipe!!! ......
I might as well start my first post with a recipe...so here it goes:
I have been looking for a pre/post workout bar recipe and I found it! This is from Eatingwell.com, plus a few modifications. This bar is great for before going to the gym, before heading out the door to work, or just for a snack. They are full of oats, nuts, dried fruit, and are peanut buttery! YUM..can't go wrong with that combo... They taste pretty sweet and remind me of a chewy store bought granola bar.
It works well to keep them in plastic baggies to store, either in the fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for longer.
Peanut Buttery Energy Bars:














You'll need:

1/4 cup dry roasted salted peanuts
1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds or other chopped nuts
1 cup chopped craisins or raisins
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cups toasted rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies

1 Hershey's Special Dark chocolate bar (optional)
1/4 cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Coat a 8x8 square, glass baking pan with cooking spray.
2. Combine peanuts, sunflower seeds (or other nuts), raisins (or other dried fruit), oats, rice cereal, and dark chocolate in a large bowl.
3. Combine peanut butter, brown sugar and honey in a large microwaveable bowl; microwave on High until bubbling, 1 to 2 minutes. Add vanilla and stir until blended. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until coated.
4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap, directly over the bars. (just so you are able to press down on the bars w/out them sticking). Press down FIRMLY..and I mean firmly. It is important to press the bars down as much as possible, or they will not stick together. I used another square pan that fit inside the 8x8 pan and put all my weight on it to pack the bars. Place bars in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Cut into 8 rectangles. ENJOY

Here are the rough stats for each bar:
NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 255 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 2 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 42 g carbohydrate; 5 g protein; 3 g fiber; 95 mg sodium; 242 mg potassium.2 Carbohydrate Servings

***Also, I chose to add a scoop of chocolate Whey protein powder to my peanut butter mixture. I knew my boyfriend would be eating these bars, and he is a college football player in the middle of his pre-season training. It tasted great and is a good way to add some more protein!

***This recipe is a fun one to experiment with. Lots of different combinations can be used. Examples: cheerios or a bran cereal instead of rice krispies
dried cherries or blueberries instead of raisins/craisins
walnuts or almonds instead of peanuts