Happy fall!  Crisp mornings and sweater scarves are in full swing around here already.  Although getting my daughter to wear pants and long sleeves in place of her summer dresses has been a battle I just can’t win!  We look ridiculous going places together while I am bundled up in layers and Mairead is still sporting flip-flops and shorts.  I thought it was only teenagers who didn’t get cold 😉

We started this week off by hitting the snooze button a few too many times.  That Monday morning scramble is getting old fast haha.  And to top it off I am fighting another cold.  All the kid-germs Mai and her friends are bringing home from school is something to get used to.  As I think I mentioned in a previous post, another thing that is taking some getting used to is nut-free snacks for Mairead to take to school.  For now, I am lucky that I only have to pack a recess snack but come next year when she stays at school for lunch will be when the real challenge starts.

I don’t want everything she eats at school to come out of a box but sometimes it’s tempting to throw in a granola bar and send her out the door.  Mai is pretty slow moving in the mornings and she’s often not in a hurry to eat breakfast.  We usually settle on a bowl of cereal which she only eats a few bites of before it’s time to leave.  So because it is difficult to get her to eat a good breakfast most days I want her 10 o’clock snack to have a good amount of nutrients.  The blueberries and oats in this recipe offer loads of antioxidants, in addition to fiber and other vitamins.  It is also filling enough to hold her over until lunch.  The only downfall is that Mai refused to share any with Aaron for his lunch haha!  Enjoy!

 

Healthy Blueberry Oat Bars

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp sugar, divided

Directions

Preheat oven 375 degrees.

Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

Pour in the melted butter and mix together until the dry ingredients become moistened.  Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble.

Transfer to the baking dish and using your hands’ press the mixture firmly into the dish.

Spread 1/2 of the blueberries on top of the crust.  Sprinkle the cornstarch over top and roll the blueberries around until coated.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and add the remaining blueberries and spread evenly.  Sprinkle with remaining sugar, then top with remaining crumble (it will not completely cover blueberries, that’s ok).

Bake for 30 minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the top is a golden color.

Cool completely before cutting into bars or squares.  Enjoy!

By Three Happy Folk

Adapted from Well Plated