viernes, 29 de junio de 2012

Long time no see Oatmeal Bars



Long time no see!  It’s been like forever since I last posted.  Actually it was January so 6 months have past and not a single post, none, nada, siltch.  All I can say is that my plate has been full.   Just a  lot of things going on these few months. The good news is that I have also been doing a lot of baking up to three recipes on a regular afternoon.   I love trying out new recipes, but what I enjoy most is coming up with my own recipes.
That way I can control how much sugar and fat intake my kids get every time they want something sweet.  I try to make their sweets myself, although I will let them indulged every once in a while for they are kids for Pete’s sake.  They are only 5 and 4 year olds but they already know a lot about eating healthy and taking care of their bodies.   I for one feel blessed, for they prefer eating veggies than a bag of chips or junk food.  Most parents are amazed when we go out and they see my girls eating eggplant parmigiane or salad instead of pizza!  
I also try not to give them a lot of the box cereals; they are full of sugar, artificial colors and empty calories. So they end up having oatmeal, bananas and yogurt,   eggs   or rye bread for breakfast or dinner.  Actually they are the ones who decide what they want to eat for breakfast and dinner but of course we give them a few options and they get to choose what they want.     
 Lately my daughters have been craving a lot of oatmeal for breakfast or dinner they just don’t care what time of day it is to eat it.  So  few weeks ago they went to sleep over a their grandmas and  came back with a  two more bags of oatmeal  plus  the one that we had bought that same week  so  we ended up with 9 pounds of oatmeal at home.   I made cranberry oatmeal cookies, guava oatmeal bars, and prune oatmeal bars, and still have oatmeal at home!!!

My daughters helped out making the cookies while I made the squares on my own.  I came up with the recipe myself and I was actually a trial and error. The first time I added to much butter but the second time just perfect.

This is my version of Oatmeal Squares:
3 cups of oats
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup for regular white flour
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
3 tbs butter

Filling 
Jam of your choice
I like to make my own 


Mix all the dry ingredients.   If the oat flakes are too big you may break them down a bit with your hands.  With a fork work in the butter until big clusters are formed.  Spray a 9 inch pan press half of the oat mixture on the bottom of the pan.   Carefully spread the jam over the oats and finally sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture over the jam.
Bake a 350 for 45 minutes or until golden brown.