Granola Bar Memories + Giveaway

Happy, happy Friday!

I slept like a baby after watching all that football last night :) I slept so well I turned my alarm off this morning instead of hitting snooze. Oops!

And that run yesterday must have kick started my metabolism because I woke up starving this morning. I love that feeling. It makes me even happier to have a big, filling breakfast.

All I wanted today was oatmeal.

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With melty peanut butter. And I knew exactly what peanut butter I wanted ;)

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Yes…I bought more White Chocolate Wonderful. I just have to! Once I run out, I start wanting it again and just can’t go without it. It is pretty sweet though, so I can’t have it every day – some days I just want regular pb without all the sugar. But some days, like today, I want the sweet, melty white chocolate peanut butter.

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The base:

  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 cup water
  • pinch salt
  • cinnamon
  • 1 banana, sliced

Fun toppings for Friday:

  • 1 Tbsp White Chocolate Wonderful
  • 1 Tbsp dark chocolate chips
  • 1/2 Nature Valley Oats’n’Honey granola bar, crumbled

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I know it’ll be a good breakfast when Roxy is checking it out.

 

Have you ever had the Nature Valley Granola Bars?

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I fell in love with them during the summer of 2003. That was the first summer I joined Weight Watchers and my grandmother introduced me to them as one of her favorite snacks.

I had never really had crunchy granola bars before – just the normal Quaker chewy granola bars – so these were my obsession all summer long!

Almost every day that summer, my lunch would consist of a turkey + cheese sandwich, these granola bars, and some fruit. And I would bring extra granola bars for my snacks! I love the crunch.

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The Oats’n’Honey were always my favorite :) And the ingredients are pretty good, too!

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Did you know that Nature Valley is a sponsor of the National Parks Project? This Project helps to restore and preserve the national parks so that future generations will have the opportunity to visit the parks for years to come. As a nature lover  and someone who loves to hike in the parks in our area, that’s important to me! I hope to take our future kids hiking and camping in the same areas we’ve been going for years, and I know how much work and dedication it takes to preserve those areas.

Nature Valley has teamed up with Patricia Shultz, author of “1,000 Places to See Before You Die,” to support the parks. When you buy specially marked packages of Nature Valley Bars and mail in the wrappers, Nature Valley will not only recycle the wrappers but will also donate .10 per wrapper to the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) (up to $600,000). You can find out more about the project at PreservetheParks.com. Not only does the site have great information about the information, but it also links to some great photos of places like Yellowstone National Park and Grand Canyon National Park.

I was lucky enough to receive a package from Nature Valley and MyBlogSpark  that contained a box of Nature Valley Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bars, a mini backpack, a compass, a solar-powered key chain flash light, a reusable water bottle (which I LOVE – it’s big and green), and a copy of Shultz’s book.

And you have a chance to get this package, too!

To Enter:

  • Leave a comment telling me about your favorite park/outdoor space for hiking, running, etc.

For an additional entries:

  • What’s your favorite granola bar?
  • Link back from your blog and leave another comment

I’ll pick a winner on Thursday! Good luck!

 

67 comments

  1. I’d have to say the Duke Botanical Gardens. They’re not actually the best for running, but powerwalking is what I prefer. Gorgeous scenery, friendly people, the only downside is it’s at Duke! (I’m a carolina girl)

  2. I adore National Parks and Forests. My current favorite is the White Mountain National Forest. It’s close and offers miles and miles of beauty.

  3. We don’t really have parks, etc close by for me to hike, but I love Glenwood beach in northern Michigan! We always walk there from our condo and it is just gorgeous.

  4. I like any sort of peanut butter granola bar.

  5. My favorite park is Town Lake in Austin. Add a kashi pumpkin spice granola bar and I’m a happy camper!

  6. I have so many favorite outdoor spaces, since I live in Denver! I especially love hiking on quiet paths in the open spaces that are run by surrounding counties, as well as being in the mountains. I also love Wash Park here in Denver!

  7. My college years could be summed up by Nature Valley’s peanut butter granola bars…they got me through some serious study sessions!

  8. Now that oatmeal is totally something I would do. THAT is my kind of breakfast! :)

    I love the forest preserves around me- it’s like city everywhere then BAM- you’re surrounded by trees and land as far as the eye can see. It’s crazy…

  9. And my favorite granola bars are probably Kashi or Clif. They’re always in my desk at work. I get anxious if I don’t have them for backup!

  10. I love to run on the beach, so peaceful in the early morning.

  11. I would have to say that Pisgah National Forest is one of my favorite outdoor places, although I don’t get to go very often.

  12. I love the Nature Valley Granola Bars but I think my favorite are the Cliff Bars.

  13. My favorite place to run/walk is called the East Providence path. It’s just so calm and unexpected in a city

  14. Favorite place to hike is Dragons Tooth ! off of 311. When you get to the top, it’s fun to be able to climb the last bit.

    Favorite granola bar would have to be the Natures Valley honey n oats :) they’re like crack..

  15. I live in downtown Milwaukee, so my favorite place to run is along the shores of Lake Michigan. So beautiful!

  16. My favorite granola bars are the Nature Valley chewy trail mix cranberry & pomegranate bars. They’re pretty sweet, but make a great snack with a piece of fruit. I’ve also crumbled them on top of oatmeal – delicious!

  17. Do you know I’ve never hiked in a national park? I have a whole list of ones I want to visit though! In college we used to go camping at a park nearby (cheap vacation!) and I loved getting up early and hiking through the woods. :)

  18. The only crunchy granola bar I like is the Nature Valley ones- peanut butter is my fave!! Besides that, I like anything chewy with peanut butter :)

  19. There are not any national parks near where I live, but I love our local park system. My favorite park is South Park in Quincy, IL. My kids and I walk there almost every day!

  20. My favorite granola bar is Oats and Honey too! I love the crunch and sweetness!

  21. I love Glacier National Park, and had a chance to go to Yellowstone this summer. I am in love with the peanutbutter crunchy bars.

  22. We have a chain of lakes in Minneapolis that are perfect for walking, running and biking!

  23. Nature Valley is actually my favorite granola bar, too! My favorite is the peanut butter. :)

  24. My new favorite park to hike in is the one I discovered 5 minutes from my house: Chawalca State Park. (My friends always call it Choobaka :P) But it’s incredible! Small, but it has tons of trails, good camping sites, and a whole lake! I was absolutely ecstatic about the lake part..I thought the closest body of water was an hour away!

  25. Right now my favorite granola bar is Kashi’s Pumpkin Flax crunchy granola bar (like Nature Valley) but I remember being able to down PB Nature Valley bars like it was my job :P

  26. There’s a bay that’s a ten minute walk from my house and I love going there to run. It’s by the water and feels amazing when there’s a bit of wind and sun.

  27. I absolutely love Clif bars :)

  28. My favorite granola bar is Kashi! Love this giveaway!

  29. I don’t hike often, but I love love LOVE to go kayaking and canoeing. Luckily I live in Tennessee, which has a ton of absolutely gorgeous rivers! My favorite river in the Nashville area is the Duck River. It has the best rope swings. ;)

  30. My favorite crunchy granola bar are definite the Nature’s Valley oats n honey! So good. I also love Kashi Trail Mix bars.

  31. I live in Chicago so my favorite place to run is along the lakefront, especially now that it’s finally getting cool outside!

  32. My favorite granola bar is the dark chocolate chunk kashi bar!

  33. I love to hike but rarely get a chance to. My favorite place is Yosemite National Park. It’s so gorgeous! I love it there.

  34. In college I lived on those Nature Path honey and oats granola bars – they bring back the memories for sure!

    My favorite park of all times to run would have to be Green Lake in Seattle. I never really would run it after work because everyone is out at that time and it gets super busy, but I loved getting out before work and taking the outer 3 mile loop twice. I loved walking it in the afternoons after classes during college! If you ever come to Seattle make sure you make a trip to Green Lake!

  35. I just moved to Phoenix from Iowa, and the fact that I have a big mountain (South Mountain) practically in my back yard is a dream come true! I love to get out there early and run or hike up one of the peaks and watch the sunrise on the entire Sun Valley.

  36. Also, I love the Kashi pumpkin spice bars, mainly because I brought a box with me on an 8-week trip to Mexico last summer. Despite all of the delicious Mexican food I ate, the Kashi bars were a comforting and familiar taste of home. I treasured and hoarded them so much that I still had one to eat on the plane home!

  37. I used to love those granola bars too, haven’t had one in forever.

    We have a place here called Chickasaw National Park that is super pretty. That or any of the myriad of lakes in Oklahoma.

  38. Thanks for the great giveaway! Last summer, my boyfriend I visited Zion, Bryce, and Arches National Parks. Hiking in these three parks was really the thrill of my life! The natural beauty just took my breath away.

  39. I love, love Lake Tahoe. I used to love bike riding and hiking there. I don’t live near there anymore though. Those bars do rock! The oats and honey are the best.

  40. I live in New York City, so I gotta say Central Park. It’s great for any outdoor activities :)

  41. Right around the corner from my house is the Mercer County Park and I love running and biking there! So many beautiful sights of nature! <3 :-D

  42. PS – I love the Cinnamon Nature Valley Bars! So yummy! Perfect with a little bit of Justin’s Cinnamon PB…

  43. I also love Nature Valley granola bars. Can’t beat that peanut buttery crunch. I was able to live in downtown Vancouver, BC for quite some time and I loved running around Stanley Park. The seawall around the park is 5.5 miles and is beautiful every step of the way. It’s named after Lord Stanley (who was the Governor of Canada at the time) which is also (for those of us hockey fans) who the Stanley Cup is named after!

    Now I live along Lake Ontario so I’m still able to run by the water. I’m a lucky girl!

  44. quite frankly, there is this lakeshore path along Lake Mendota in Madison i absolutely LOVE!!!

  45. The Nature Valley granola bars were a staple in my diet during my first two years of college; they were the best between class snacks! My favorite flavor is the Cinnamon – I am addicted to cinnamon.

    It’s so hard to choose a favorite outdoor place to be active in Hawaii. I love walking and running along the beach in the mornings. I also love hiking the Maunawili trail in Kailua. It’s about 10 miles and at the end, there is a waterfall that I love jumping off of and cooling down in the water.

  46. My favorite place to hike and run with my dog is on the trails on Saddleback mountain in Southern California!

  47. One of my favorite granola bars is Kashi’s chewy trail mix bars :)

  48. Great info on Nature Valley! I love their oats and honey granola bars – they are great fuel for runs!! :)

    My favorite place to run/walk is a trail near our house with lots of pretty trees!! :)

  49. I love all of the Kashi granola bars. They are so tasty!

  50. I love the Nature Valley peanut butter granola bars and their cinnamon bars too!

  51. There’s some gorgeous spots around campus to picnic out on. They are all over the place! :D

  52. I had the most amazing hike when vacationing in west Virginia when I was younger. I can’t remember the trail but if was breath taking. I want to make it back there some day

  53. I haven’t done a lot of hiking, sadly. My favorite is a trail in St. John that leads to a private beach; it’s such a gorgeous reward at the end!

  54. McAfee knob on the AT or Sharp Top in Peaks of Otter on the Blue Ridge Parkway :) Love me some VA mountains

  55. My fav place run or hike would have to be the trail that runs through our campus and along lake Bemidji!

  56. Fav granola bar? That’s a tough one–but I’d have to say I really like Special K Chocolate PB Protein bars.

  57. Hocking Hills in Ohio

  58. My favorite park is Quiet Waters near our house in Maryland. It has a lovely water view and trails. You can also rent kayaks and paddle boats.

  59. I love going to Colorado to take in the National Parks there. It’s just so gorgeous there. I love the crunch of these bars too!

  60. I’m not sure I really have an absolute favorite granola bar, but I enjoy anything with peanut butter or chocolate in it ;)

  61. My favorite outdoor place is in the city I live in, which I keep OFF THE BLOG………let’s just say it has beautiful gardens and not a lot of traffic/people!! :)

  62. My favorite park is a tie between Garden of the Gods in CO Springs & Washington Park in Downtown Denver. Depends on what type of outdoor activity I’m looking to do. For hiking, probably Garden of the Gods though :)

  63. My favorite Nature Valley Bars are the peanut butter flavor. PB makes everything better no?

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  65. I love the oats and honey. Very satisfying and delicious!

  66. I’m a big fan of running anywhere near or in a dog park! I just love watching the pups play and catch frisbees, always makes me smile.

  67. I love walking on the beach. It’s relaxing and a good workout! Peanut butter flavor is my favorite!

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