Chocolate Chip Apple Strawberry Snack Bars

This recipe uses a lot of food storage items. Freeze dried strawberries, dehydrated apple slices/pieces, Whole wheat, sweetened coconut flakes, oats and granola. These are all items I try to keep in my food storage, as my children love the dried fruits. I had the kids help me add ingredients and asked them if they like the items I put in it. They all said "yes". So I'm hoping that there will be more kids eating these than just me. Last time I made snack bars the boys had one bite and then didn't really want anymore. This time I added more chocolate and chocolate chips to hopefully have them eat them.

Preheat oven 350F

First add Dry Ingredients:
4 cups oats
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups apple slices/dices
2 cups wheat germ
2 cups freeze dried strawberries
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Stir to incorporate all dry ingredients. Then add all wet ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pint apple sauce (homemade)
1 cup honey
3 eggs
6 tsp vanilla

Stir to mix all wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.

Spoon or dump all mixture on to a large jelly roll pan. Flatten out and evenly distribute. This should fill the whole pan with mixture all the way to the top of the sides of the jelly roll pan.

Bake 30-35 minutes at 350F and edges are golden brown. Remove from oven let cool slightly and cut in the pan. Makes anywhere from 42-84 snack bars depending on how you slice it.

I loved the last snack bars I made. I'm hoping the kids love these.

Strawberry syrup

I found some frozen strawberries in my freezer. I had purchased on discount some yellow pound cake, and I had a thought... strawberry short cake. But I didn't have enough strawberries to go around to the whole family. It was only like a cup of strawberries. So I had this great idea. "Make a syrup/jelly for and it should be yummy!" So that's what I did.

Ingredients

1-2 cups of strawberries rough chop
4 cups water
2 cups sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp corn starch and cold water

add the water, and sugar to the strawberries in the small sauce pan. bring to a boil. add the balsamic vinegar and corn starch/cold water mixture. stir until thickened about 10 minutes. Serve on short cakes, pancakes, pound cake or whatever.

This was heavenly. I have never used balsamic vinegar in my strawberry dishes, but from now on, it's a must!

I served this on sliced pound cake with whipped cream.

Fruit Salad

Today I had a baby blessing to attend, and then a pot luck meal afterwards. I was asked to bring a fruit salad. I for some reason am a little intimidated by fruit salad. I worry about allergies, and putting the right combination of fruit together, so that everyone will like it. I am a people pleaser... or at least I try to be. I don't recall ever putting together my very own fruit salad, unless it was from the store and or a frozen fruit mixture thing. This today was done all by myself. I cut all the fruit that needed cutting or at least picked it all up from my local grocery store fresh the day before. I had my husband come with me to help me pick out yummy fruit. That was also one way that I could make sure he liked what was in it. Sometimes I do have ulterior motives for why I do things the way I do. With that being said. This was fairly easy to put together, I don't think I will ever use a store prepared one again. It was so fresh and delicious. I would have eaten the whole thing but I decided I would be patient incase there were any leftovers I could bring some home. I was glad I didn't eat it all there, I still had about half of the salad left and brought some home. Now mind you, this makes a TON of fruit salad. It might be good for freezing half of it for when you have several gatherings to go to, or just a HUGE neighborhood get together or family reunion to attend. Even a church pot luck this would be great, because it makes so much.

Ingredients:

2 clam shells black berries
2 clam shells blue berries
2 clam shells strawberries
1 cantaloupe
1/2 a seedless watermelon
7 nectarines
1 big bag of red or green grapes

Directions:

rinse all the black berries and blue berries, place in large bowl, then rinse and drain the strawberries cutting the green stems off and slicing, then adding to the bowl. Cut the cantaloupe and add to the big bowl, then cut the nectarines up and add to the bowl. Cut half of the watermelon up and add to the bowl. Rinse and remove stems from the grapes and add whole or cut to the salad. Toss with two spoons gently, but allow fruit to mix completely. Serve chilled or right away.

Verdict:
This makes a great summer snack for the kids, or even for a pot luck. The fruit was in season and so flavorful. I highly recommend using any fruit that is in season. It cuts the cost down and the flavors will be so tasty. After I was on my way to the pot luck, i realized that kiwi's would have been a yummy addition to this recipe as well. There is no added sugar or flavorings.

Cran-raisin, Strawberry, Oat Chocolate Snack Bars

As part of our Cub Scout Pack meeting tonight, we were asked to bring a healthy snack to share with the cub scouts and their families. I know the typical carrots, apples, celery and all that... but I wanted to do something a little different. I wanted a healthy snack bar. I am not purchasing any as I have all the ingredients to make a yummy one at home. I googled a healthy homemade snack bar online and I found this one. It was a great starting point, as I have never made one before in my whole life. I was grateful for the basic needs of a snack bar. This one is packed with loads of stuff, I guess my only hope is that it tastes good and my kids will eat it. I will bring some to the church and some will stay home. This makes a LARGE batch, a jelly roll pan full.  The original batch called for a 13X9 pan.

Ingredients:
Combine...
4 cups of oats
2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups brown sugar (that’s the only bad part)
1 cup raisins
1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1 cup wheat germ or ground flax seed (we did the flax)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups freeze dried strawberries
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup sweetened coconut shredded
2 cups cinnamon almond granola



Stir in...
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pint apple sauce (homemade, unsweetened)
1 cup honey
3 eggs
6 tsp vanilla

Blend well, incorporating all aspects of the mix. Spray a large jelly roll pan and pat mixture with a spatula. 

Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees until the edges are golden brown.

Snack bars cut

Pan of 42 snack bars

 close up of the snack bar

Verdict - 

Delicious, filling, and nutritious. Not too sweet, but sweet enough. I am not a big fan of raisins, but this is very delicious. I will be cutting some of the snack bars in half and bringing those to the Cub Scout Pack meeting, the other's are staying here, and if the kids don't eat them, I'm going to, because they are very good! Enjoy