Yup. I’m that Mom.
This girl is going to be smothered in so much pink crap that she’ll be mortal enemies with it by the time she’s nine. Or maybe she’ll become as obsessed as I am…
Having only had a boy before having this lovely girl, I had already succumbed to the thought that I would never have girls and would be stuck dressing my boys in monster truck shirts and washing muddy socks and pants. But now I have the power, the power to play dress up that is. One day she’ll be the best dressed kid in school.
Today is a big day for a lot of kids. The first day of school, or the first day back to school after a long summer break. Exciting and scary, nerve racking and over stimulating, the first day of school was always something I equally dreaded and revered. I wanted to be excited, but I hated school. In all honesty, living out in the middle of nowhere has made me seriously consider homeschooling my children. I will do it! I am just not that into the public school system. I have a lot of reasons, which I won’t go into here, but let’s just suffice it to say, I am not a fan of the public school system in British Columbia. There, I said it. Sorry about that.
Okay, politics over. School requires nourishment. Sustenance to sustain you through breaks, classes, studying, learning, cavorting, gossiping, locker decorating, vending machine finding, etc. What better than a homemade granola bar made with love packed neatly into your kids lunch box? Lower in sugar, sodium and fat than anything you could buy commercially and they taste fabulous! Make these today for your little munchkins and watch as they grow up right in front of your eyes.
**Note: There is another reason I made these treats. Warning! Long Story!
One night, we took the whole family down to the lake for a little fishing excursion. That’s me, the mister, Cohen (son) and Isla (daughter) plus our doggie, Domino (a puggle).
We fished, we laughed, we threw sticks for Domino, we had good times. Then it was time to go and we couldn’t find him. We called, we waited, we yelled some more. Nothing, not even a peep. Sometimes he gets stuck in things and we have to rescue him, but usually he whines or barks to us. This time, nothing.
We decided to head home, a two minute walk, to see if he had gone back before us. Nope.
We headed back down to the lake, where I swore I could hear him choking on water, but it sounded far away. We couldn’t see him anywhere. Adrian (Mr. Guilty) waded into the lake and around the corner to see if he could see him, but nothing.
We headed back up the hill towards our house and stopped at our neighbour’s house. We asked if they had seen him, but they said no. Then the husband hopped on his bike and cruised up the road to see if he could find him. Nothing.
They headed back to the lake, and we had been missing our doggie for about 30 minutes at this point.
Nate, our neighbour, headed down to the lake with Adrian and all of a sudden he jumped in, shoes and all!
Domino was paddling his little butt in the lake, mouth full of a Kong toy that someone had tied to the side of their boat! He was unsuccessfully trying to deattach it and drowning slowly in the process. He would absolutely not let go and had to be pried off! What drama!
So for Nate’s courageous jump into frigid waters and the rescuing our our son;s beloved puppy, we thanked him with somewhat healthy baked goods. Thanks Nate and Tracy!
Granola Bars
Yield: 12 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 50 minutes1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup hazelnuts (filberts)
1/2 cup pecan pieces or halves
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pistachios
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2 cup dried blueberries
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats (use gluten free oats for a gluten free product)
3 tbsp wheat germ (omit for gluten free)
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/8 cup honey
1/8 cup +1 tbsp agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract1. On a baking tray, lay out nuts and roast for 10 minutes in a 400°F oven, stir once after five minutes. Cool slightly and chop into small pieces.
2. Chop fruit into small chunks and set aside.
3. Line an 8 x 8 square pan with parchment paper, allow enough to extend out over the sides as well; this makes it easier to remove once cooled. Grease parchment.
4. Stir together remaining dry ingredients in large bowl, add fruit and nuts. Stir to combine.
5. Whisk together peanut butter, brown sugar, melted butter, honey, agave and vanilla.
6. Mix wet ingredients into dry mix and pat into lined baking tray.
7. Bake 45-50 minutes at 350°F or until golden brown on edges.
8. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes, remove from baking tray by using extended edges of parchment and cool in refrigerator until set. Slice only when cooled and wrap individually.
Similarly delicious recipes from other blogs:
Easy Homemade Granola on The Amateur Gourmet
Breakfast Apple Granola Crisp on Smitten Kitchen
Homemade Granola, Gluten Free on Gluten Free Girl and The Chef
Granola Bread on Wild Yeast
Banana Chocolate Granola Bars on Bitchin’ Camero