recipe

Wifey Bars

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My name is Kelli Zink Levy…and I’m addicted…to Lara Bars.

It’s true, I’m obsessed with nearly every flavor (minus the minty one) and how well these little healthy bars travel along in my purse or pocket.

Just last week I whipped one out at Soho House while having drinks with friends including Marshall Faulk & Cam from Modern Family- but that’s a story for another time.

In true Wifey form, I read the simple list of Lara Bar ingredients and decided I could make my own version. My first few attempts landed me with the Zexy Mamma Bars, but now with a few tweaks, I’ve come up with my most genius version yet.

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Oh, and BTW- these are NO BAKE! That’s right, all you do is blend ’em and they are good to go.

Ready to try ’em? Let’s get Wife’d Up!

Wifey Bars

What You Need/Grocery List: 

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  • dried pitted dates- if you can only find them with the pits in – that’s fine- you’ll just have to remove them. You’ll need about  cup
  • 1/2 cup dried oats
  • 1/3 cup walnuts
  • 1/3 cup almonds
  • 1/3 cup honey- I use Manuka honey for the added health benefits
  • 1/2 cup raw almond butter (you can also use peanut, cashew, etc)
  • a blender (or not and they will be chunkier)
  • mini foil baking pans or non stick plastic muffin sheets
  • plastic wrap or zip lock baggies

What To Do: 

  • dump the dates, oats, almonds and walnuts into your blender
  • put your honey and almond butter into a small bowl and microwave until both are soft. start with about 20 seconds, stir and continue- but make sure the ingredients don’t burn
  • transfer the hot mix to the blender
  • mix and stir, stir and blend until it all looks the same. if you like yours chunkier, that’s cool too- I prefer to blend mine a bit
  • lay a sheet of plastic wrap down and lay a layer of the mix, spreading evenly and covering with plastic again. Watch the video for the demo of the ziplock baggies too. Or simply dump even spoonfuls into the muffin tins – no plastic needed
  • pop into the freezer for 20 mins and “set”
  • if using the pan, cut into bars…eat and enjoy!

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I love giving these away as little gifts. I’ve given them to; book club girls, friends who are always on the go, and for thank you gifts.

Feel free to add your twist on them and throw in whatever ingredients YOU and your people love!

WATCH AND LEARN HOW TO MAKE EM :

Slow Cooker BBQ WIFEY WUT UP Chicken

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Today I had my first foray with raw meat in the slow cooker. It didn’t go well…at first.

I dumped my package of pre sliced tenders into my croc pot, poured some Famous Dave’s BBQ sauce in there, mixed it up and set it on low for 7 hours.

About 5 hours into the simmer sesh- I smelled a combo of delish bbq (I know I don’t eat meat but I like the scent- whatever) and burnt something.

This is what I saw when I opened the lid:

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NOT NORMAL.

What did I do? Oh maybe salvage the chicken in the center and pull it out- NO. I decided to stir the pot around and see what happened.

Major fail.

I dipped my pinkie into the sauce and bravely took a taste (even though it had been doing the tango with the chicken) and it tasted like B.S.

Now, at this point I had to make a serious decision – do I scrap the whole thing and saw we should order dinner in or run out to the grocery- buy more chicken and try a different tactic?!??

I am NO quitter, I promised Alex dinner so I ran out and got some more chicken.

This time I mixed 2 cups of Dave’s with a cup of Italian dressing, 1/4 cup of brown sugar and a dash of worstescher sauce and set the croc on high for 3 hours.

This is what happened:

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OH HELLS YES.

I served it with some rolls, broccoli, cheesy instant rice and asparagus. And he loved it.

Well …to be fair, he said the sauce could have been a bit thicker-  I’m thinking that tomorrow’s lunch will be the perfect consistency.

I hope at least.

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hot buns

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I steamed the broccoli then roasted it for a bit in the oven with some lemon olive oil and seasoning

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another glamour shot of the bbq chic

Cheater Chicken Noodle Soup

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This magic soup will cure any illness* and is perfect for chilly Football days or movie nights at home.

*it won’t but it will make you feel better!

What You Need:

  • a rotissere chicken from your local deli or market
  • a bag of egg noodles
  • a couple cans of chicken noodle soup or a large container of broth from your local deli or market, with most of the noodles and chicken strained- we’re looking for the liquid.
  • a quarter stick of butter
  • salt and pepper
  • crackers or bread
  • a pot with either a top or a strainer
  • a bowl
  • a fork
  • a ladle or big spoon
  • lots o love!

Step by Step (ooo baby):

  • set out all your stuff
  • fill the pot a little over half way with water and turn the heat on high , add a dash of salt
  • while you’re waiting for it to boil, take your fork and shred the breast meat off of the chicken into decent sized chunks
  • now your water is boiling? cool- time to add the noodles- I use about half the bag. Oh and maybe turn down the heat so the water doesn’t boil over.
  • stir the noodles about every min for around 7 mins or until they are soft but not mushy
  • strain the water out of the pot with your lid or dump the noodles in the strainer and shake it a few times
  • turn your heat to low and add the noodles back in- with a big chunk of the butter and stir till the butter coats the noodles
  • add the broth and chicken and stir over low heat until it’s all warm.
  • serve with crackers and accept praise!
  • MOST IMPORTANT STEP: while they slurp it down- shred or take the rest of the chicken off and store it in tupperware or on a plate with foil in the fridge. then throw away the chicken box and the deli soup container/cans, wrap up and store the noodles.

It’s our little secret, right??

WATCH STEP BY STEP HERE.

MAKE IT VEG:

Swap chicken for tofu or chickn’, and use veggie broth in place of chicken. Throw in some cooked carrots to add more substance if you like.