Feeding toddlers is tricky. Their taste buds can change quicker than the weather. Some foods are their favourite for months and then all of a sudden they will not touch it. Other foods will not be eaten one day and then consumed with great enthusiasm the next. Also at this age they will rarely eat a standard 3 meals a day and instead it is wise to offer a range of healthy foods throughout the day to suit their nutritional needs and metabolism.
I consistently look for healthy and enjoyable snacks to satisfy the ever evolving appetite of my 20-month old vegan toddler. My Mum has kindly been posting us some wonderful ‘Organix Oat Bars’ from the UK which my girl adores as a treat. But of course, the cost of all these parcels add up and is not really a sustainable option. So I created this very similar recipe that I could make here in Dominica and I wanted to share it with other mothers looking to make a healthy snack bar.
The ‘Child of Nature’ Oat Bar contains ingredients that can all be easily found in Dominica’s supermarkets (I have yet to create one made entirely out of locally grown ingredients but I will one day). They are only sweetened with raisins and fruit concentrates and thus contain no refined sugar or artificial sweeteners. My girl loves it just as much as the store bought ones and, because you can make in big batches, the rest of the family can enjoy the treat too.
I made these whilst preparing breakfast and had them baking whilst I bathed the children so they were ready for snack time later in the day – now that’s simplicity! I hope you enjoy.
Yummy Oat Bar
Ingredients:
2 cups Mornflake Superfast or Jumbo Oats
1½ cups Raisins
4-5 dessert spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
100% Concentrated Apple Juice
½ cup grated Coconut
Process
- Pour raisins into a bowl, cover with apple juice and soak for about 30 mins – 1 hour
- Blend raisins and juice in blender using the pulse button. You are aiming for a rough mixture and not a smooth paste.
- Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl, add the raisin mixture and stir well
- If the mixture looks too dry at this point, add a little more of the apple juice
- Spread the entire mixture out into a baking dish. You want your bars to be ½-1 inch thick.
- Bake between 125-150 degrees for about 1 hour or until slightly firm to touch
- Remove from stove, allow to cool, cut into bars and serve to eager toddlers
- Refrigerate the remaining bars and enjoy at your convenience.
I plan to experiment with this basic recipe now by trying some variations such as adding ginger, cinnamon, cocoa nibs and other dried fruits. I also want to get a dehydrator later in the year so I can use less heat and make it a raw bar. Please let me know your experiences in using this recipe.
