Bakin' Friends in all the right places

I know this is supposed to be a weight loss blog- and I promise, I am still working on that goal- but everyone needs a little fun now and then, right?

 With that in mind, I decided to join a group of bloggers (and some non-bloggers) and participate in a baking swap called Bakin' Friends hosted by Stephanie of Steph's Bite by Bite. Each month will feature a new "secret ingredient" and different participant match ups. This month's secret ingredient was rolled oats. It seems like a pretty easy ingredient- but it was so hard to choose something to make! It needs to have the secret ingredient and be able to last long enough to be shipped across the country if need be (and mine went clear across the country- all the way to California!)

I'll let Anne from Have a Cookie tell you all about what I ended up baking and get on to the yumminess that
showed up in my mailbox this month!

When I pulled up in my driveway after work and saw a box on the porch I immediately started racking my brain to figure out what I ordered online and forgot about (This MAY be a sign I do too much internet shopping...). When it dawned on me that it MUST be my Bakin' Friends treat I was just relieved that I got home before my husband! Both my girls were sleeping so I was able to rip into the box right away and see what was inside. I apologize in advance for the poor picture quality. I'm still learning to use the manual setting on my Nikon and the lighting, although better outside than in my dark kitchen, wasn't so great in my backyard. Plus- I was trying to keep the dog from getting into everything!

I already knew I was getting treats from Chris, who doesn't have a blog- but has been commenting on mine since we were paired up- Hi, Chris! I wish I could tell you where Chris sent these from, but I tore into the box so fast, I didn't really think to look. I'm pretty sure they came from Wisconsin?? I could be totally wrong- it DOES happen from time to time ;-)

So simple- you'd never know that this was a box full of yum!

Nestled inside the box, wrapped in protective bubble wrap was this simple and pretty tulle wrapped container:

 Which was filled with super delicious Oatmeal Peanut Butter Squares! They were sooo good- seriously- and healthy to boot! (Because anything that includes oats is healthy, right?!) I couldn't believe how moist they were even after shipping! They had a great peanut butter flavor, a generous amount of chocolate chips and some chewy oats. I ate 2 while I took these pics. Then I shared with my daughter, my husband, my sister in law, then I ate more. Unfortunately, by the time Monday came around, they were gone! (No self control- hence the need for a weight loss blog!). My sister didn't even have a chance to taste them.

But- I have the recipe! So, I can make these again for all those who didn't get to have any!

Thank you so much, Chris! 

Interested in participating in the next installment of Bakin' Friends? Check out all the information and rules here: Bakin' Friends