I think we’re all in the same boat here as we walk into our grocery stores or local Targets and get bombarded with all of the “Back to School” ads. We just stand there and shake our heads wondering, “Where in the world did summer go?”
I feel this way every summer. The reminders of back to school shopping are upon us, and all I want to do is close my eyes and pretend it’s a bad dream. I don’t have to deal with it the same way other parents do because I homeschool, and we usually don’t start our homeschool year until October. I don’t feel the dread of having to do all my of back to school clothes shopping all at once, and I can take my time with the school supplies they do need.
But there is something we homeschooling parents have in common with everyone else. Our kids all gotta eat lunch at some point during the day. I don’t know about you, but my kids expect some sort of lunch every day. Why are they so darn presumptuous? I don’t know. But they seem to get hungry come the afternoon, and want something to fill them up…
Granola bars make a really nice, (not to mention easy) light breakfast, or a perfect addition to your midday meal. But granola bars from the store are expensive. You get somewhere in the vicinity of 4-8 bars per box for around $3-$5 depending on the brand, and if you’ve got multiple kids, plus a husband who takes his lunch to school/work, then that means one box isn’t going to get you through the week!
I’m here to help you out with this spendy little problem. Simply make your own granola bars! I’ll bet you already have most of the ingredients on hand, and all you need is a little time on the weekend to make these delicious, crunchy, and nutritious bars – you are set. We found that we were able to get 25 granola bars out of this recipe, which will definitely cover my family for the week, and then some.
Save yourself some money and make these yummy and easy granola bars – I promise, you will love the flavor, and how cute would these little bars look in your kid’s or hubby’s lunch box with personalized little tags on them? A little tag of love or encouragement from mom during the first week back to school would sure make any kid feel adored.
- 6 cups rolled oats (not quick oats)
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup apple juice
- ¼ cup molasses
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups rice krispies
- 1 cup wheat germ
- ½ cup finely chopped pecans
- ¼ cup roughly chopped almonds
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, toss the oats, canola oil, melted butter, and salt together. Spread the mixture onto 2 baking sheets and toast in the oven for 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan twice to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from oven and set aside.
- Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, honey, apple juice, and molasses. Heat the mixture slowly, until it just starts to boil, stirring until all combined. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
- Toss together the toasted oats, rice cereal, wheat germ, pecans, and almonds. Pour in the brown sugar mixture, stirring as you pour. Toss to combine-it will be sticky.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray and press the mixture into the pan and bake until golden 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- Once the granola has cooled, carefully lift the granola out of the foil and place on a cutting board.
- Cut bars with a sharp knife. (We used a rocking pizza cutter). Wrap bars in individual squares of plastic wrap for school lunches or snacks.
Used In This Project:
- Circle Hang Tags • I chose the “Rustic Bistro” style in deep pink.
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Chels is a native Oregonian who dreams of living with all four seasons in Central Oregon. She's a wife and stay at home mom to her three vivacious kiddos whom she home schools. When she's not schooling or chasing after her munchkins, she enjoys reading, bubble baths, and finding clothing/kitchen treasure at thrift stores. But more than all of that, she finds refuge in her kitchen where she and her husband can be found cooking and baking up a storm for their family and friends. You can read more about her culinary endeavors at Catzinthekitchen.com.
Hi I absolutely love this recipe! I was just wondering how you packaged the bars shown in the image? Thank you
Hi Chloe! To package these granola bars, wrap it saran wrap and tied it with a personalized tag. You can order them here: https://www.evermine.com/all_tags/preview/HTRB12-39/