Friday, October 25, 2013

Foodie Friday: Chewy Wheat Squares Candy

Now…I know you have all come to LOVE the healthy recipes I try and feed to my own family, and then feel so compelled to share them with you and yours.

So once again I have clearly outdone myself.

I went with candy this time. A definite deviation from the usual cookie. Well, I guess the salted caramel pretzel bark is also a candy.

OK, scratch that last sentence…I clearly don’t know what I’m writing about. Perhaps there is simply a sugar addiction going on and that’s the over-arching umbrella for my Foodie Friday posts.

It’s a theory I’m working on anyway…

So…today’s post was driven from my sense of thriftiness.

Yes, that’s what I said: thriftiness. It didn’t END UP being necessarily thrifty but the trip started out that way.

The second driving factor was the sugar addiction.

Sugar...you know where it comes from? That’s right, you clever readers…the sugar cane. This is a perennial grass, not a tree as you might think.

Trees…they’re so beautiful in the fall. You know what kind of tree is my favorite?

The Dollar Tree.

(I’m really working hard on making my transitions as smooth and seamless as possible. I think I’m getting quite good at them, to be honest.)

And one of the reasons I love The Dollar Tree is that they take coupons. I don’t know for how long they’ve been doing this, but only recently did I come across this tidbit of knowledge.

And not only that, you can sometimes get things for free when you have $1-off coupons.
Makes sense, right? 

"What things?" you may be asking.

Good question and thank you for teeing that up for me: things such as crackers, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. All name-brand stuff.

And one such purchase I made was for a box (albeit not a very large box but still) of Post Shredded Wheat.

Plus I had a $1-off coupon.

Now, the main problem with this freebie is that I don’t really eat much cereal, and no one else in my family would eat it.

Unlike the Cheerios, someone will eventually eat it, once permitted to douse it in sugar.

Shredded wheat, on the other hand, is really not that good even with beaucoup de sucre (dropping some Français on you there).

But, not one to let food go to waste, I decided (after the box of Shredded Wheat had been sitting in the pantry for weeks…ok, months...but still WELL within the "Use By" date. Just for the record, in case anyone's asking) to Google it (much like I had with the Cheerios) to find a recipe which would both use, and simultaneously hide, the Shredded Wheat.

Well, I wasn’t exactly planning on a sweet treat (but I was hopeful…of course), so imagine my delight when I found a recipe with both Shredded Wheat and chocolate (because chocolate covers a multitude of icky tastes…except Brussel Sprouts, as my friend CB discovered. You can ask her about that…or ask me and I will give you her phone number so you can call her.)

It’s a funny story but she doesn’t blog so she’ll have to just tell you.

So…because I know you don’t want to wait any longer for the recipe (and who knows…you very well may have already skipped on down to the end, and I can’t say that I would have blamed you), here it is, for your candy-making pleasure:

Chewy Wheat Squares Candy (ok, this is about the least appetizing and inspiring candy name ever…who can come up with a better one? There’s no prize for this contest…only bragging rights. We’re more nickel-and-dime than In The Coop.)
Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 2 cups miniature marshmallows
  • 2 cups shredded wheat cereal, finely chopped
  • 1/2 salted nuts (any kind), chopped

Preparation:
  • Prepare an 8x8 pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Place the butter and chocolate in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for one minute or until melted, stirring until the mixture is smooth and well-combined.
  • Add the crushed shredded wheat, the nuts, and the miniature marshmallows, and stir until they are well-coated with chocolate. Microwave the candy for 20-30 seconds, until the marshmallows start to melt. I like the marshmallows to be gooey, but not fully melted, so that there are still pockets of intact marshmallow in my candy.
  • Pour the candy into the prepared pan and press it into an even layer. Refrigerate it to set the chocolate, for about 30 minutes. To serve, lift it from the pan using the foil as handles, and cut it into small squares. Chewy Wheat Squares can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week (but they probably won’t last that long…just sayin’).

Yes, it sounds like an odd combination but it’s good…have I EVER steered you wrong before?!? I mean when it mattered?

Have a fabulous day!


4 comments:

  1. Sounds very yummy! My kids actually LOVE shredded wheat though (the frosted kind--and the "generic" brand. I only buy the real stuff if it's cheap/on sale). Also, we use honey on cereal (i.e. cheerios) so they don't douse it in sugar. Works pretty well. We eat too much cereal -- particularly in the summer when Chris and I are not up to make a well-rounded breakfast for them. Hmmm... I need a transition here...because I am rambling...too bad I can't use lovely Autumn tree one because it has already been used... hmmm...

    ..I'm coming up with nothing...

    Ok, so I will go now and let someone else comment because I am sure they will have much more interesting things to say. ;)

    I STILL need to try the "salted caramel pretzel bark" ...lately all I have had time for is pigs in the blanket & frozen pizza.. *sigh*

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    Replies
    1. I know you're just jealous about my mad transition skills...I can hear in your voice. Don't hate...

      As an aside...you make a well-rounded breakfast for your kids? We are a self-service operation around here, 24/7/365///

      Yes, you do need to try it. I PROMISE it doesn't take long to make...which therein lies the problem. It is TOO easy, unfortunately. You'll see...

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    2. Ok, so.... I didn't hide my jealousy too well there did I .. sorry. I covet thy transitioning skills. Forgive?

      Yes, well, we fail in SO many parenting tasks, but this ONE thing we believe in and ?maybe even excel? in. We believe in giving the kids a great positive start to their day. One day I was getting particularly snippy with Gillian (let's just say our morning people attributes were clashing) and Chris pulled me aside and basically told me to 'cool it!' because we need to send them out fully nourished, but also with a good mood and a positive start to their day. And you know, me, being the submissive wife and all (mwah-haha...well, I try....lol) really did see the sense in that. But, yes, we try to give them a protein (usually eggs, but sometimes peanut butter on toast), a 'bread' (which is sometimes oatmeal or a 'healthy'-non-sugary' cereal or toast or a bagel) and I try to add one fruit to the meal. You would think we got up super early to do this, but not really. We are up and going by 7, sometimes 7:10 or after and kids are sitting & eating by 7:25-30, out the door by 8.

      That said, we eat way too much frozen pizza and 'pigs-in-blankets' for supper! ;-/

      ...and ok so I am going to totally do this caramely-pretzel-crack recipe...TONIGHT! ;)

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  2. Well, that's different. The first thing that comes to mind is "It may think it's candy, but it's not".
    Perhaps "Could have been a s'more"?

    I can't believe that Dollar Tree takes coupons! How do they make money?

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