Itsy Bitsy Foodies

I’m not really sure what to call these bars.  They are a cross between a granola bar, muffin and energy bar.  They are a nutrient-dense snack but they satisfy a cookie and overall sweet tooth craving.  I have been making them for almost a year now and each time they are slightly different.

It all started with an experiment making chocolate oatmeal cookies with half peanut butter and half Greek yogurt instead of the butter.  I gradually started reducing the amount of peanut butter and increasing the yogurt, reducing the sugar and chocolate chips, substituting whole wheat flour and wheat germ and adding flax seed, banana, and a laundry list of other ingredients.  From these bars came my pumpkin oat bars.  And another favorite flavor of mine: White Chocolate Craisin Oat Bars.

They have given me energy for my daily activities, lack of sleep from having a baby and overall keeping up with an energetic three year-old who now has a busy baby brother.  And they are healthy snacks for my boys, too!  {My three-year old likes to eat them with a spoon when they are still soft and gooey, right out of the oven.}

I prefer to use Greek yogurt for the extra protein but I’ve also made them many times with low-fat plain yogurt.  The recipe that I have included below has become my base recipe, from which I add and subtract depending on which ingredients I have.  {I’ve used peanut butter, applesauce, pumpkin, banana, coconut, M&M’s, whole peanuts, chopped pecans, etc.}