So, how to feed the ravenous little mouths during the afternoon hours…
I posted a round-up of some fun new after school snacks that we’re experimenting with (5 ingredients or less, super fast and healthy mommas, because no guilt should be involved)….that’s here–you have to smile at the video involved…crazy.
But…for those who like to spend time making snacks ahead for the week or whose kids are patient while said snacks are being made…here’s a good one! I decided to whip up this recipe the other day when I had dates and a few other things around–I’m all about spontaneous recipe creation–and I have to taste test it first before sharing here, but this one stood up to both my approval, Ambrose’ grabbed it and was crunching it while I was snapping photos, and Corinne said she liked it–but not that much, meaning, she also wanted to have her other snacks!
It makes for a great pregnancy snack as well…with the dates and honey as sweeteners, protein from almond butter and chia, and the fiber of the chia, sunflower seeds and oats. Sunflower seeds also provide magnesium which is key for calming both kids and mommas:)
I’ve seen wellness mama and others do similar ideas for homemade granola bars, but I like the softer texture of this one, and I think the dates and coconut etc help keep it interesting, texture wise. You’ll have to let me know what you and your kids think!
Super food (date–honey–oat–sunflower–chia) bars
Set oven to 300. Grease a round or square 9 in dish, I used coconut oil.
1 cup whole pitted dates–you can put these in a food processor first if you wish. I was lazy and just let the kitchenaid do the blending–it worked great once the other soft ingredients were in there.
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/3 c. organic (local if possible) honey
1/4 cup almond butter (use sunflower seed butter if you need it to be nut-free for school)
2 cups organic oats
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup organic chia seeds
optional: coconut flakes raisins, mini choc chips
Blend dates with the other “wet ingredients”…add in dry ingredients one at a time, stirring–kitchenaid stand mixer is ideal for this, but even an oldfashioned spoon will work (or hand blender) so long as it forms a nice soft doughy and well blended texture.
Spread into pan, and bake for 20-30 min–checking in the final minutes to see that it’s browning slightly on top, and that texture is as desired.
Serve warm, room temp, or cool—your preference….and happy snacking!!!