Yummy Toddler Snacks: Veggie Nuggets and Date Bars

Whew!  Summertime and we hit the ground running.  Two weekends ago we visited the North Carolina Transportation

Homemade Bars – On The Go

Store-bought granola bars seemed like a waste to me.  A waste of money, a waste of packaging, and waste of calories.  They also seem to have an infinite shelf-life, which is always a big red flag for me.  They do, however, seem to save time.  They are great to grab and go.  You can eat them in the car or carry them in your bag.  You can store them in your desk at work or quickly throw them in your kids lunch.  They are filling and seem better than a candy bar – maybe.  SO, I tried to think of a homemade replacement to the store-bought bars.  I made some homemade granola bars with peanut butter, rolled oats, dried apricots, dried cherries, dried pomegranates  and chocolate chips (of course).  I added eggs and some brown sugar and baked the mixture in a pan at 375 for about 30 minutes.  You can vary the recipe however you want.  Then, I cut the baked mixture into bars and wrapped the bars in plastic wrap!  I put all the wrapped bars in a refrigerator drawer for easy access.  Quick, easy, healthy, and cheap!  AND homemade!

Homemade Granola Bars! Yum!

Liz, my sister-in-law and Karen’s protegé, made homemade granola bars!  They were yummy!  She mixed rolled oats, date puree, walnuts, applesauce, wheat germ and chocolate chips; formed the mix into bar shapes; placed them on cookie sheets and then cooked them for a couple of hours in the oven at 250 degrees.  There are lots of possibilities.  Craisins, other nuts, pumpkin puree, different seeds, flax.  Very high yum factor!  But who can resist a bit of chocolate?