Recipe Review: Oatmeal Bars & Chicken Chili

I've recently tried some new recipes that I think are worth sharing. I found both recipes via Pinterest, of course. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Bars
from Gingerbread Bagels

I actually tried this recipe twice: first subbing applesauce for the bananas, then with bananas. I didn't use eggs either time since we don't have any on hand, and got sort of mixed results. The applesauce version came out fine in my opinion, probably because the applesauce kept the bars moist. The banana version was a little crumbly, though, and definitely needed the eggs to hold everything together. They still tasted fine, though. The first time I tried this recipe I actually at the whole pan myself in two days, so I guess you could say they're tasty. I highly recommend eating these bars warm.

Also, as an FYI, these bars are sort of cake-y as opposed to being more chewy or solid like a granola bar. So don't expect a homemade Kashi bar or something out of this recipe. And definitely don't skip the eggs in the banana version.

Grade: B 
While tasty, these bars could use a bit more flavor - maybe from some chocolate chips or pumpkin pie spice. If I make these again, I'm going to stick to the applesauce version for sure.

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
from Skinny Taste

[check out Skinny Taste for pictures, because this recipe is anything but photogenic]

This recipe was so, so good. Drew and I have made chicken chili in the past using Ina Garten's recipe, but we agree that this recipe from Skinny Taste tasted more like chili and less like a vegetable soup with chicken. Plus this recipe was significantly less time-consuming.

Since this is a slow cooker recipe, the hands-on time was only about 10 minutes. I think the hardest part of this recipe was chopping up the onion. This recipe was delicious, incredibly filling (fiber!) and so easy. It makes a ton, so be prepared to eat this for a week or make this for guests.

Grade: A
Next time we're going to double the chili powder for more kick.

Have you tried any recipes lately that are worth sharing? Let me know! Or, find out what other recipes I've been pinning for your own inspiration.

Six Months

Six months ago, Drew and I got married.

Can you believe it? We certainly can't, mostly because our math-challenged minds thought that it's been  our six-month anniversary for the longest time (or at least the last two months). I promise we really do understand the basic concepts of addition and subtraction.

Anyway, the last six months have been crazy, amazing, challenging and so much fun. Since getting married we:

• moved to a new apartment/town
• became an aunt and uncle
• spent our first Christmas as a married couple
• celebrated our 2-year dating anniversary
• returned to Disney World, where we first met, for our honeymoon
• purchased our first real furniture (dining room table + couch)
• have had an amazing time enjoying the first few months of marriage!

I'm pretty amazed by how much has happened since we got married. The past few months have been jam-packed for us, and, as you can see from my list, we've experienced a lot of changes and new experiences. I know the next six months will be just as crazy for us, and I'm really looking forward experiencing everything with my best friend by my side. I can't wait for the many years we have ahead of us!

Also, as a fun side note, today is not only our 6-month wedding anniversary, but it's also my younger sister's 20th birthday and our nephew's 4-month birthday! Crazy! Guess there's just something about the 8th of the month in our family.