Cherry Apple Oatmeal Bars

It takes three requests of teeth brushing, five pleas to brush hair (why do girls hate to brush their hair?) and a whole lot of negotiating on outfits to get Scarlett somewhat presentable for school. We haven’t even factored in the lay-on-the-floor-and-stare-at-the-cat time. In other words, it leaves little room for eating. So I was determined to find a recipe for an oatmeal bar that was both healthy (Read: not packed with sugar) and tasty.

She’s a big fan of bars and I get a little tired of all the sugar or brown rice syrup in even some of the more healthy ones. I myself could also use an easy snack since I’m always on the go too. The great things about these bars by Whole Foods is you can throw in any dried fruit or juice you’d like. Try orange juice or dried blueberries, dried apricots, raisins, dried apple pieces or any combination.

These bars were toe, toe easy (as Scarlett would say). As I measured things, Scarlett threw the ingredients in the bowl one by one and continued to work on an egg carton craft she was in the middle of. (There may be glitter glue in this batch. Not sure if that has any nutritional value.) She bailed on stirring after a few minutes since it does take a little muscle to mix all the ingredients together. However, she thought is was hysterical that she sat in the honey. (Don’t ask!)

After the honey incident, I decided to flattened the sticky oat ball into the pan. As the bars cooked, I joined the egg carton project. I made a ladybug. She told me hers was a dead frog. Scary but true. We snacked on the finished bars while cuddling on the couch. Crafts can take a lot out of girl, don’t you know.