Oatmeal,fruit and carrots - it's gotta be healthy!

DH is such a great guy - and I'd be a better wife for him if I didn't cook goodies - that said - here is what I cooked today:

Yep - look innocent enough don't they? My adaptation of an older B. Crocker recipe -

I've cut it down to a half of the original recipe - portion control don't you know? Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Have an 8 inch square pan at the ready. No need to oil it but if you want very neat results - you can line it with aluminum foil so when they cool you can lift 'em right out and cut into squares.

Ingredients in bold letters: 1/2 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, one cup quick cooking oats, 3/4 cup all purpose flour, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir the butter and brown sugar together in a medium sized bowl - get it well mixed and soft. Then add in oats, flour, baking soda and salt. When the mixture looks very crumbly (I ended up using antique utensils - yes fingers were here before forks!) pat half of the mixture into your pan. Bake about 10 minutes or until it looks as if it is beginning to brown.

The filling - one cup dried cranberries (usually called craisins), 3/4 cup white chocolate chips, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup sugar ,one tablespoon all purpose flour, finely grated peel of one large lemon, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, and one egg. Stir together in a bowl. When your crust part is done - pour filling over the crust and crumble the remaining oat mixture over the filling. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool before you try to cut them up - they are very crumbly.

Lest you think I am only a dessert maker - well here is proof we eat veggies in forms other than zucchini bread. Carrot salad - yummy!

Shred 10-12 ounces of carrots - Add one shredded cored apple - don't peel it ( I used a gala apple but almost anything other than a very tart apple would be fine). One cup of raisins (I always rinse off raisins before I use them - I've seen how they are made!) one cup of toasted, chopped pecans (I live in the south y'all).

Dressing: in a separate bowl - whisk together 1/2 cup mayonnaise, one tablespoon cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons applesauce, and 1/4 cup honey - it may sound too sweet but it won't be. Once the dressing is thoroughly mixed - pour over the combined fruits, nuts and carrots and refrigerate until ready to serve.

There you go - Linda Sue's healthy foods for the day. I served this today with spaghetti, steamed broccoli and iced tea. We are all overly full and have plenty for tonight or lunch tomorrow. See I can take healthy ingredients and zap up the calorie levels without any stress at all! It is good in Buhlaland and we are all too full!