No-Bake Oat and Fruit Bars

The month of June is like the month of December to me. It’s jammed with events and as the month wears on, like my stress level, my schedule only gets more intense. If you have a family, June is the month when everything that has framed the school-year (studies, extra curricular clubs and sports as well as outside activities and sports) comes to a spectacular end. And by spectacular, I mean frantic. From final projects (please, God, don’t make me buy another bristol board) to recitals (Really?! Do we actually need a photo day for that gawdy dance costume? Sorry, dance costume people.) and final tournaments. Plus don’t forget all the end of school gifts for teachers and administrators. If I didn’t take an extra few minutes before the week to plan our meals, then I’m sure we’d be eating crumbs off the floor.

 
Photo by Maya Visnyei

When your schedule intensifies, it’s always the other routines in your life that deteriorate. Meals are usually some of the first to be sacrificed. (As well as any thing else benefiting you like a workout, hair cut or having 10 minutes to drink a coffee!) If you make a meal plan, and buy some strategically prepared items, you can ease the suffering. For instance, I’m already feeling the effects of the end of the year circus so my meal plan this week is quite simple:

Monday: Lemon Thyme Chicken Dinner Salad
Tuesday: Olive Oil Fried Eggs over Roasted Asparagus and Chickpea Salad
Wednesday: Out
Thursday: Peas, Pasta and Spring Onions
Friday: Fish Tacos

Not one of these meals takes me more than 20 minutes of prep time, except for maybe the salad which is noodle-y in the chopping. I always have eggs in my refrigerator, chickpeas in my pantry and peas in my freezer. I’ve picked up the other ingredients I’ll need for the recipes and bought my favourite pre-made guacamole and salsa for the tacos. I also made this easy snack. I use it in the morning to make breakfast easy. Scarlett actually likes to crumble it over yogurt but she’ll also eat it as a bar alongside a banana (or some other kind of handy fruit) and a hard boiled egg. This should help ease the pain of the ever-increasing commitments in my schedule. If you have any other questions about how to keep your meal times on-track, feel free to track me down and ask. I’ll be the one with the unbrushed hair.