Believe it or not, these Grab & Go! Oatmeal Breakfast Bars were the result of a homeschool assignment yesterday. My daughter, Kylie (age 7), and I rewrote a recipe from Laura Ingalls (THE Laura Ingalls, also known as Laura Ingalls Wilder).
Over the past few school years, I've been using curriculum from Moving Beyond the Page with Kylie. It is a comprehensive curriculum that can be used for an entire year, or you can also choose to use it as a supplement. We use the full comprehensive Age 8-10 curriculum (we just got it in the mail a few weeks ago!).
The first language arts unit of the Age 8-10 curriculum focuses on the book "Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Kylie not only read the book, but is learning what it was like to live in the pioneer days of the 1860's - 1870's in the woods of Wisconsin. Life for Laura Ingalls was very different than the life we live today; there were no tv's, radios, electricity, etc. If one didn't grow, hunt, or catch their own food, they wouldn't survive. Items that we take for granted now (like owning a doll to play with) were precious and rare back then.
When I discovered the first book Kylie would be studying was "Little House in the Big Woods" I was thrilled. I read all of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books when I was a little girl. They are among some of my favorite childhood books.
One of Kylie's homeschool assignments yesterday was to follow directions and make a recipe for "Maple Bars," by Laura Ingalls. After she completed making the Maple Bars, she was to think of something else she could make in the kitchen and write her own recipe card with step-by-step directions.
This is what I love about homeschool. The recipe above wasn't going to work for our family because of our food allergies, so I decided to change the assignment. Kylie and I sat down with the Maple Bar recipe and re-wrote it to make it lower in sugar, gluten free, and also dairy free. We gave the recipe a complete makeover (especially since it went from a dessert bar to a breakfast bar), and Kylie wrote the first recipe draft:
She had quite a bit of help from me, but I'm really proud of her, and she was really proud of herself too!
I have 2 versions of this recipe for you today. One is for Maple Pecan Oatmeal Bars, and the other is for Blueberry Flax Oatmeal Bars. This recipe is versatile and can be personalized, much like granola bars. Feel free to substitute seeds for some of the nuts, and/or substitute other frozen, fresh, or dried fruit for the blueberries (not to exceed ¾ cup).
Please note, I do not recommend adding shredded coconut to this recipe. Coconut requires added moisture and will dry out the bars.
Grab & Go! Maple Pecan Oatmeal Breakfast Bars:
Yields 9 - 12 servings
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
4 – 6 tablespoons palm sugar
⅓ cup sorghum flour
⅓ cup tapioca starch
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
½ cup coconut oil (at room temperature)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and lightly grease an 8 x 8” baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour the dough into the baking dish and use a spatula to spread it evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 28 – 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bars comes out clean.
- Allow the bars to completely cool before serving.
Grab & Go! Blueberry Flax Oatmeal Breakfast Bars:
Yields 9 - 12 servings
1 cup almonds, pecans, or walnuts, finely chopped
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
4 – 6 tablespoons palm sugar
⅓ cup sorghum flour
⅓ cup tapioca starch
2 tablespoons flax meal
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
2 eggs
½ cup coconut oil (at room temperature)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup frozen blueberries
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F) and lightly grease an 8 x 8” baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the blueberries.
- Pour the dough into the baking dish and use a spatula to spread it evenly in the pan.
- Bake for 28 – 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the bars comes out clean.
- Allow the bars to completely cool before serving.
Enjoy!
xoxo
Megan
Vicky says
These look lovely Megan, especially the blueberry ones! We used to watch Little House on the Prairie on TV years ago, I hadn't thought about that for ages. I love that you are able to teach your children to cook at such an early age and to get involved in creating recipes, they are both so cute!
Beth Trizza says
Thank you Kylie, for this fantastic recipe!! I can't wait to try it! 🙂 I say you get an A+ on this assignment!
Erin S says
These look amazing. Anything with pecans is good in my books. I love your photos, they are absolutely stunning!
Alyssa | Queen of Quinoa says
Love these! What a great way to start the day. Oatmeal bars are a favorite of mine!
Amber says
Meg, those bars are GORGEOUS! And I just love how your daughter wrote out the ingredients and directions. Tell her she's so awesome. I showed my daughter her written recipe and she thought that was super cool (because she likes to help me in the kitchen as well). These bars are a must make my friend. 🙂
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
What an amazing post, Megan! Such a beautiful collaboration with your girls ... in every way. 🙂 Kylie did an outstanding job on writing up the recipe. Getting help is a good thing. That's how we learn. That curriculum sounds excellent. These are the kinds of things that I miss from my days of teaching 3rd grade. Sadly, my sister and friends who still teach in public schools tell me that not much time is allowed for such activities any more. It's mostly about what's on the darned tests. 🙁 Anyway, thanks so much for sharing this whole experience! The Maple Pecan Bars are the ones I want most! 🙂
xo,
Shirley
Laura says
What a fabulous lesson Megan and your girls just get cuter and cuter! I am crazy about blueberries so these bars are really calling out my name. Delicious!
Paige @ Not Missing a Thing! says
Stopping by from Gluten Free Friday. These look so good! I hope to try them out soon.
Miz Helen says
Hi Megan,
I just love a Grab and Go Breakfast Bar and this looks delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this special recipe with Full Plate Thursday and enjoy your weekend.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
peggyatallergyfreetestkitchen says
What a fun assignment! I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder books.
Kristen @ Smithspirations says
I loved seeing your daughter's sweet handwriting! We are reading through the Little House series for history and read aloud, too!
Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma) says
She did such a great job!! These look amazing! Loved to see their smiling faces!! 🙂 Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂
Thanks for linking back to the Gluten Free Fridays post!
Party starts tomorrow night (thursday) at 7:05 pm eastern time! Hope to see you there!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Arleen says
Megan, these are just what I've been looking for! Tell your daughter to keep up the good work, I am proud of her too!
Lea H @ Nourishing Treasures says
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures' Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts! 🙂
Alisa says
Yum! These look so perfect. I've got some maple pecan bars that I make too, which are just a wee bit different 🙂
Amy @ Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free says
As a mom, my heart totally melted when I read your post!! Aren't you doing incredible things for your girls??? I love it!
You were a reader fav from last week's SIT post so you'll be featured tomorrow.
Big hugs to you and those Kitchen Cuties!!!
Amy
Jen Hutchinson says
What an amazing mother you are! Your girls are such a delight.
I am new to this GF and am needing to start due to my 7 year old son, however my 6 year old daughter is allergic to tree nuts, can I forgo the nuts in the blueberry recipe?
Very excited to read more of your blog!
Megan says
Hi Jen! 🙂 Thank you so much! I'm not certain you could substitute anything for the nuts since I haven't tried it myself. If I were to try substituting something though, I would probably try using more oats.
🙂 Megan
Vee says
Love these recipes! Thanks for sharing them. Your girls are precious! I have to ask what "milk" is featured in the photo with these cookies. I am struggling with finding a tasty enough dairy substitute. Would prefer a homemade nut milk or better-than-I-now-use coconut milk recipe. I will search through your recipe posts. : )
Megan says
Hi Vee,
Thank you! The milk is actually a secret recipe I've been hanging onto for a special occasion. 🙂 Stay tuned!
Hugs,
Megan
Carolyn says
Oh My!! I am feeling so blessed to have stumbled across your website last night!!!
My husband is a very fit 36 year old, yet has Ankylosing Sponylitis & Reynauds and, like you, lives with chronic pain.
Several years ago his condition became so bad we became desperate for change. We decided to try a naturalpath and haven't looked back since. The MAIN change we have made with Jay is DIET. He eats very similar to your diet, except that he eats only Chicken, Salmon and Turkey for meats- No red meats or pork whatsoever.
We have seen a huge difference in his health. He went from being too in pain to walk from functioning again, and now even runs 6k every few days! God is good.
I went years feeling alone in our quest for healthy eating and trial and error recipe making, and how I would have appreciated having connected with your site 8 years ago!! Anyways, what matters is I found you! 🙂
I just found your site late last night, and am so excited I have already made the 'Grab 'n' Go' Breakfast Bars and Flat bread and it's only 8:19am!
THEY ARE DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!
Thank you SOO MUCH for sharing your delicious tips and your healing journey with us. We will definitely be following you along your road to a healthier life.
God Bless,
Carolyn
Megan says
Sweet Carolyn!!
I'm so glad you found me! Although I'm not happy to hear your hubby also suffers from AS and Raynaud's. 🙁 BUT, God IS good... I think it's so incredible Jay is running 6k's! That's amazing!
Thank you for all of your sweet comments. Hugs to you and Jay!!
🙂 Megan
tessadomesticdiva says
Hey Megan! You are the reader fav this week, could you get a link back before tomorrow night?! Thanks dear!
Megan says
Oh dear! Sorry, Tessa. Normally I'm so good with that. I will link up this afternoon when I'm on my PC.
🙂 Megan
mpbusyb says
Megan - I just retired this summer from 24 yrs of homeschooling all my girls. Reading your daughter's sweet recipe brought back memories of the many similarly fun-filled activities we did together. I was touched by her delightful misspellings and her youthful handwriting. Such a treasure you will cherish for a long time.
PS. Thanks for the beautiful recipes too.
Melisa
Shannon says
Little House on the Prairie ... what sweet memories that evokes, both of the books and of the TV series. As much as the recipes I'm exploring on your blog, I love the stories that go with them.
Egg is a challenge for us in this recipe. Could it possibly be replaced with applesauce or a chia or flaxseed gel? I haven't tried these replacements yet, but keep seeing them pop up in other recipes.
Megan says
Hi Shannon,
Aww... thank you so much! I'm glad you are enjoying it - I'm happy to have you here! 😉
Someone told me they made these using a banana as a substitute for the eggs, and reported it worked perfectly (I haven't tried it myself though).
Megan
Jennifer says
Megan, I have made these two or three times now and they are wonderful! Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
Megan says
You bet, Jennifer! 😉 So happy you enjoyed them!
Michelle says
These look fantastic Megan. Thanks for sharing.
Roisin says
Thanks for the recipe but what can I use instead of shogrum flour?
Thank you x
Megan says
Try brown rice flour!
Susan says
These are great! Another recipe I can share with all of my friends!
Megan says
Very happy you enjoyed these!
Sara says
Hello! Wondering if you've ever doubled the recipe and had success? Also, have you tried freezing the bars? I was thinking of making a double recipe and baking in a larger pan, then cutting the bars and freezing as snack for a friend and her new baby. What are your thoughts on making larger batches of this recipe and freezing the bars individually wrapped?
Mēgan says
Hi Sara, I think a double batch should bake up just fine - you just might need a bit of a longer baking time. Wrapping them individually and freezing sounds great!