Statistics show that around this time of year, the New Year’s resolutions become tiring. Face it: working out is hard, you really do like sweets no matter how hard you try not to — and why save money when you need a new wardrobe for spring? Like you and the rest of the U.S., I find myself teetering on the edge of forsaking my commitments.

I am not very original. One of my resolutions is to eat better, but after dropping $70 at Trader Joe’s, I am reconsidering the true virtues of healthier food.

On the other hand, I am proud to admit that I have found a deep love for vegetarian meat. Not only is it low in cholesterol and fats it is a good way to pack in four vegetable servings that I have neglected ingesting throughout the day. Not surprisingly, the baker in me is the strongest point of contention. I love butter, eggs, sugar and flour—sweet glorious vehicles of calories and trans fats that make any bad day better.

But, in an effort to help you keep up with your resolve, I browsed several recipes for granola bars and came up with my own variation using only things I already had (honoring another resolution to spend less). The recipe is versatile so I encourage you to be creative. I do not however recommend using chocolate or yogurt chips. For one they defeat the healthy goodness of these bars and for another they will make a mess. Here’s how I made mine:

Recipe

1. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet or pan (like the kind you would use for brownies) with aluminum foil. Combine oats, oil and salt in a bowl and mix until well-coated. Transfer the mixture to the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until pale gold, stirring the oats every 10 minutes. Remove oats from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
2. In same bowl you used for the oats, mix together your filling starting with the chopped nuts. Here my additions were ¼ cup of chopped dried cranberries and toasted coconut. You can add as many different nuts, chopped to various sizes, as you like as well as dried fruits. I suggest shopping at Fresh and Easy for small, inexpensive packages of dried fruits and nuts. Set the mix-ins aside and cook the sugar and honey in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently until the sugar dissolves. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the vanilla and spices, if desired. Here you can take more creative license: use your favorite spices or dig out that “pumpkin pie spice” you had no other use for after November.
3. Combine the oats, mix-ins and honey mixture in a medium bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until no dry oats are left at the bottom of the bowl. Transfer to the lined baking pan. Wet spatula with water or non-stick cooking spray and pack mixture as tightly as possible. Take your time here. If not packed tight enough the bars will crumble apart. Bake for 30 minutes then let cool until solid. Cut into 24 bars and wrap individually in foil. Keep in an airtight container up to one week.