Coffee, Caramel & Cream

"Mommy, I want something to eat!"

Does anyone else hear this every 15 minutes? I sure do. I guess the girls got their appetites from me. I really think sometimes I'm feeding teenage boys instead of a 4 and almost 2-year-old.

I'm always searching for quick, easy, and healthy snacks for my girls, plus something that I can send along in my pre-schooler's lunchbox. An apple, banana, yogurt, or these granola bars are my usual go-to snack.


These homemade granola bars are perfect! My recipe is inspired by this one from The Gracious Pantry Blog. They are packed with protein, fiber, and healthy omega-3s. Plus they are mostly sweetened naturally with honey and applesauce. They only added sugar is in the chocolate chips.

They are super easy and quick to make. This recipe makes about 24 bars.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 cups of quick oats
• 1.5 cups peanut butter (try for no sugar added)
• 3/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 5 tbls. chocolate chips
• 3 tbls. chia seeds
• 2 tbls. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Directions:

Place oats on a tinfoil covered baking pan. Roast them in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. (Do not use oil)




Let them cool for about 20-30 minutes.

Mix together the oats, spices, peanut butter, honey, chia seeds and applesauce.

Once that looks well blended, fold in the chocolate chips.

                                                                                        
Place your mixture back onto your foil covered baking sheet. With a spatula, spread and shape into a rectangle.



You can shape it to the thickness you want.


Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

When you take them out of the oven, let them cool for about 3 minutes, then slice them while they are still warm. You can slice them into square bars, like I did, or into traditional rectangular ones.
                                        
                                                                               



Transfer them to a cooling rack. Once completely cool they can be stored in a sealed container in your pantry.

You're done! Super healthy, super yummy.

Even my husband, who doesn't exactly like "healthy" food, thinks these are tasty. Plus my girls gobble them up and I don't have to feel any mom guilt. You know the guilt you get when your child comes running up to you begging for something to eat, and out of desparation you tell them, "here just eat a cookie".

Yeah, I know that feeling.


               Thanks for stopping by!
                             <3