The whole jar of jam!

I'm raising snackers. Seriously. These kids love crackers, string cheese, graham cracker bunnies. Applesauce pouches, Cheerios, and most of all - Nutrigrain bars. They eat at least 1 each per day. I think it's their equivalent of cookies.

So, I thought "why not make some homemade Nutrigrain bars?" After a quick Pinterest search, I found this recipe from a great blog called From Apples to Zucchinis. The recipe looked easy enough. I had all the ingredients on hand (always a plus), so I gave it a go.


Homemade Nutrigrain Bars

1 c butter softened
1 c brown sugar
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oats or quinoa flakes (or a combination of the two)
1 tsp vanilla
2 c (16-24 oz jar) jelly or jam

See? All the ingredients were from my cupboard!

MIX ingredients together until they form a coarse meal – I mixed mine together with my hands
press one half of the mixture into a foil lined, sprayed 9 X 13 pan
spread jelly over the crust
crumble the remaining mixture over the top and press down onto the jelly lightly
bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
allow to cool before cutting into bars


 The Verdict:
I loved the bars, babies loved the bars. But, in analyzing the recipe, ingredients, time, etc, I've come to the conclusion that unless you are a fanatic about knowing & having control over every little thing that goes into your babies' mouths, the box bars are quite good enough. In fact, the Trader Joe's brand are cheaper than Nutrigrain, taste better, and are whole grain. These just aren't worth the trouble - or the entire jar of jam! (Which costs more than a box of fruit bars itself!)

Delicious, but too not worth the work!