Homemade Cereal Bars

Baby G is walking.

I hope this explains my absence the last two months.

This summer has been filled with early morning runs, park expeditions, yoga/wrestling matches (Baby G has mastered the body slam during my Shavasana), and lots of wine after G is down for the night. 

As the summer draws near, my writing work is ramping up and I couldn't be more excited. Next week I will be giving a talk in Verona on healthy after school snacks and I have some projects that are in development but I can't wait to share with you. First, this talk next week, I will be at Verona Chiropractic on Wednesday August 20th from 5:30-6:15 talking about healthy after school snacks and lunches. If you are interested, call 608-497-3000 to reserve a spot by Monday, August 18.

This is one of the recipes I will be sharing next week. It has been a major go-to recipe for us all summer. I developed it for my last cookbook, Homemade Snacks and Staples, because I lived on Nutrigrain bars growing up. Next time you are in the store, read the ingredients and you will see why I made my own recipe (spoiler alert: over 40 ingredients!).


I have been making these so often lately that I have developed some shortcuts. I thought it was easy when I first made it, but now I have it down to an assembly line science. This makes two dozen so I keep about six in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. It's a great little morning treat. If Baby G sees them, she has to have one. They are dangerously good.

Homemade Cereal Bars

 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
[1/2] cup quick cooking oats
1 [1/2] teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
[1/8] teaspoon salt

[1/2] brown sugar, packed
[1/2] unsweetened applesauce
[1/2] cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
[3/4]- 1 cup jam of your choice*

*homemade is best, but otherwise look for jams that have fruit as the first ingredient and no high fructose corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 (dg)F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan (or two 12-cup mini muffin pan).

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together butter, sugar, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture. You may need to use a wooden spoon and/or your hands to get it all combined.

4. Use a small cookie scoop to scoop dough into muffin pan (approx. [1/2] tablespoon of dough). Flatten dough into pan. Add a teaspoon of jam to each on. You can do two different jams if you'd like- I usually do apricot and blackberry.

5. Scoop another [1/2] tablespoon of dough for each bar. Then flatten into disk and seal the muffins.

6. Bake 18-25 minutes until tops are golden and starting to crack. 

7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-5 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To thaw, either take out and sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes or put in microwave for 20 seconds- if you heat it up, the jam may be hot so be careful when giving it to your little one.

Enjoy!

Finger Foods Volume 5

It has been awhile since I have done a finger foods post. It's nap time, so I am going to get right to the point.

We have finally found our replacement for puffs and Cheerios. Let me introduce to our new love:

3 Ingredient Cheese Crackers. I got the recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, an awesome whole foods family blog. I made one small change from whole wheat flour to whole wheat pastry flour, and that's really a texture issue (I think they dissolve easier with the pastry flour).

All you do is throw 5 tablespoons of cold butter (cut into chunks), 1 [1/2] cup of shredded/grated cheese, and 1 cup of whole wheat pastry (or whole wheat) flour into a food processor. Process for a few minutes (yes, it takes a few minutes) until it becomes a ball. Take it out and place on a long strip of wax paper and form into a log. You can either cut it into crackers right away or throw it in the fridge for awhile. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown and firm, and you have the most amazing, EASY crackers for your little one.

I keep these in my diaper bag as my emergency snack. Baby G likes to put the whole cracker in her mouth so I usually break them into smaller pieces. These freeze well so if you don't think you will eat them right away or want to make a double batch, throw them in the freezer until you need them.

I can't even express how happy I am to have a whole foods "puffs" snack for Baby G. It's such a lifesaver and she loves them.

Enough cracker love fest, here is what else we are eating:

Thawed frozen fruit: I bought a big bag of mixed tropical frozen fruit and I always have blueberries in the freezer. I either take these out the night before and put them in the fridge, or an hour before and put them on the corner. The fruit has no additives and all of its nutrition, yet it is soft and easy for Baby G to eat. She particularly loves the blueberries.

Grated apples: This was a great tip from a mom in my playgroup (Thank you Stephanie!). Baby G loves apples but I am worried about choking. This gives her the flavor and some texture and is easy to do.

Cheese curds- I warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds and break them apart. G loves them!

Peas and Carrots- I buy the frozen ones, cook them in batches, and try to always keep them in the fridge. Such an easy no-mess finger food!

Beans!- G loves brown beans, light red kidney beans, and pinto beans.

Toast in various forms- I make my own bread using an adapted form of this recipe (I swap in maple syrup for honey and some bread flour for a few cups of whole wheat). I will do a separate post on bread, but if you have a stand mixer, you should try this recipe. So easy!
On our toast, we have had peanut butter and jelly, butter and jelly, yogurt and puree, and hummus. I also tried French toast but Baby G wasn't too interested.

Cheese- Cheese is another go-to for Baby G. This is a great on-the-go snack. I cut it up in little cubes and she loves them.

Things I want to try: Roasted baby carrots with spices. Roasting cauliflower with spices. Cutting up pears and apples, putting them in the freezer for 24 hours, thawing, and then giving them to Baby G as they will be soft and broken down. I will report back on what I learn!

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What are some of your favorite finger foods for your little one?