September 4th...Yee Ha, back to school!

How does that commercial go..."it's the most wonderful time of the year!" something like that.  I woke up this morning, poured myself a cup of coffee and thought...finally, no more crazy mornings. We spent last year working towards the kids being more independent in the mornings, like getting themselves up on time, making their own breakfast and lunch for school.  Now  Max 11, and Jackson 14, are well on their way!  That whole thought occurred even before my first sip of coffee!  Then it happened, I inhaled the liquid gold and before the caffeine could send a message to my brain, it hit me, like train crashing into a wall(too many action movies).  "Mommy where's my chocolate milk, I'm waiting don't cha know AND why aren't my cartoons on!".  CHASE...who just turned 5, starts kindergarten tomorrow and now, we start all over again!...              Life is short, drink more freak'n coffee!  
   O.K. now that I'm over the trauma of this morning's reality check, let's get focused, on healthy snacks and lunches for you and your kids.  I posted this way back in January, my healthier version of the "Granola Bar" with only 8 ingredients, store bought brands can have up to 52 ingredients listed on the package!
                                  
Here it is: 1/2 cup no sugar added apple sauce, 2 mashed bananas,
 1/4 cup Sunflower oil, 1 cup chopped dates, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/3 cup unsweetened fine coconut, 1/2 cup w/w flour, 1 1/2 cups rolled oats.
Mix all together in a bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for 40mins.
NOTE. we doubled our recipe in the picture at the top.  Also in the future I would substitute the raisins for cranberries, to cut back on sugar.
Calories for home made is 116 per square as cut in 12 pieces, the store bought is 140cal. per bar.
See Jan. 29th for full Blog and comparison of bars.