Something Light

Figuratively and literally. My toddler has always been quite decisive about food. He knows he likes green beans. He’s positive he hates zucchini, unless I pull out my super sneaky mom skills and put it in chocolate chip bread. He loves broccoli, but only when it’s what he calls “spicy broccoli”: steamed with garlic, ginger, orange, sesame oil, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. He refuses to each potatoes when they’re mashed, but loves fries and tots. What kid doesn’t?

Lately, I’ve been searching for healthy snacks that he would love and I stumbled upon a granola bar recipe in the April Edition of Parents Magazine. This prompted me to come up with my own version of granola bars. They were a hit with the whole house, so I thought I’d share the recipe with you. You can use home made or store bought granola. I tried it both ways and liked my home made granola better, but don’t feel like you need to hippy out. The store-bought ones went over just as well. I don’t think my men noticed. Enjoy!

The Base Bar Recipe:

1 Cup of Granola
1 Cup of Rolled Oats
½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour


1 Egg
¼ Cup Honey
¼ Cup Olive Oil

1 ½ Cups of Any Combination of: Dried Chopped Apricots, Cherries, Cranberries, Blueberries, Dates, or Raisin; Chocolate Chips, Chopped Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, or anything else you like!

Preheat over @ 325°. Use an 8x8 pan, lined with parchment or foil, grease with oil spray. Allow an overhang on the parchment to pull the bars out later. Mix Granola, Oats, Add-ins, and Flour in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk oil, egg, and honey. [Helpful hint: Measure out oil first, then the honey wont stick to the measuring cup.] Mix into Granola mixture.

Spray your hands with some cooking oil and pat the bar mixture into the pan. Bake @ 325° for 30 minutes. Cool in pan, on baking rack. Pull bars out of the pan with the overhanging parchment or foil. Cut into 8 or 16 bars, depending on your appetite. Eat!

One last reminder: While we may try to promote green living every day, April 22 is Earth Day. Since it’s my bloggiversary and Earth Day, I’m doing a give-away. Visit The Hero Complex on April 22, 2009 and use the Comment section to tell me how you’re teaching your kids about making the Earth a better place. I’ll pick my favorite and send you a pair of books from pbskids.org. World Tree Day and Mapping the World Tree, featuring characters from the show It’s a Big, Big World. Can’t wait to read your comments!


Thanks for reading,

Sara