When there are kids in the house, snacks are a common thing of discussion. What is allowable? When are snacks allowed? How big should snacks be? Blah, blah, blah... We are always struggling with snacks at our house. The Princess prefers to eat "snacks" all day and no meals. That drives me crazy!
But, whatever your rules are about the when, where and what of snacks... it is always nice to have healthy options that your kids like to eat. The Princess and her brothers like fruits and vegetables (mostly) but sometimes we need a more substantial snack. That is where granola bars come in. They are easy to grab, portable and kids like them. Next week, I will clue you in on where we used our granola bars - stay tuned!! Unfortunately, granola bars and peanut allergies DO NOT mix. So, when I found a basic recipe, I knew it would come in handy. I made a few changes to make them a bit healthier and more to my liking. They ended up turning out so well... The Princess and her brothers ate all the bars within a few days (and it only took that long because I limited them to 2 a day)!
Homemade Granola Bars
1 cup brown rice crispy cereal
1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats (not rolled oats)
2 Tbsp ground flax seed
2 Tbsp wheat germ
1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup sucanat
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp mini-chocolate chips
In a large bowl, stir brown rice cereal, oats, ground flax and wheat germ together. Set aside.
In a small pot, melt coconut oil, honey and sucanat together over medium-high heat until it starts bubbling. Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes. Add in vanilla and stir. Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients.
Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan (about 12x8) and press to be about 3/4 inch thickness. If your pan isn't small enough, pack the mixture into one side. You really want to press them down so they stick together. I had to work at getting them squished tight in the pan - so don't give up! I also found it that if I doubled the recipe, they fit nicely in a 9x13 pan.
Sprinkle with mini-chocolate chips and press down lightly. Cool on countertop until room temperature (about 2 hours) or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars. Wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.
If your granola bars don't stay together very well you might have made them too thin or you may need to pack them tighter next time. Try putting them in the fridge for 20 minutes to hold them together better.
You can play with the ingredients and add whatever you like... raisins, cinnamon, craisins, shredded coconut, finely ground nuts... the list is endless! Just make sure you end up with about 3 cups of dry ingredients so cut back the oatmeal accordingly or add a touch more coconut oil (or butter).
Recipe adapted from Lauren's Latest
Jana
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