Since Meghan isn’t eating as well lately, I’ve been dreaming up ways to get a bigger variety of foods into her. I don’t want to become a “sneaky chef” type mom just yet, but I do think it’s acceptable to get creative to get her eating more foods.
If I offer her oatmeal, she’ll sometimes eat it. Carrots? I can’t remember the last time she ate a carrot. Apple? I’ve got about a 50/50 chance. Walnuts? Umm…no. Eggs? If I catch her on a good day.
Put all of these things into a sweet bar, though, and surely she’ll eat it and get all of the goodness associated with these foods. Right?
Wrong. I made these bars and for the first time ever, my daughter refused to even try a sweet treat I was offering her. In fact, I might as well have been trying to get her to eat sardines the way she cried when I put a bar down in front of her.
“Noooooooooo! I don’t waaaaaant it!”
She had no reason to be crying; I don’t force her to eat anything. My mommy instincts kicked in and mid-cry, I stuck my finger in her mouth. Sure enough, way in the back of her mouth, I felt a big, tell-tale bulge that told me a molar is trying to make its way through.
*Light bulb*
Ah, this is starting to make so much more sense now. Meghan is always a fussier eater when she’s teething, but it’s been a long time since she cut a tooth, so I’d forgotten about that as a possibility. It would also explain the teenage-like drama that ensued from the mere offer of a sweet treat.
I’m hoping that the tooth coming through is having an impact on her eating and once it comes in, things will get better again. In the meantime, Tim and I will enjoy these Goodness Bars.
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Goodness Bars
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 bars 1x
Description
A healthy snack for the pickiest of eaters!
Ingredients
- 1 medium carrot, grated
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and grated
- 2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil an 8X8 baking pan and set aside. Add all ingredients to a medium bowl and mix well. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and use a spatula to pat it down firmly. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 237
- Sugar: 13.4g
- Sodium: 18.9mg
- Fat: 10.6g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Protein: 6.5g
I love that these bars are hearty, moist, and have a little crunch from the walnuts.
If you don’t like nuts in your baked goods, you can leave them out. I think next time I’ll add more. And once Meghan gets that tooth in, I know these are something she’ll love. They make a great snack, dessert, or breakfast. Enjoy!
P.S. I want to thank everyone for your thoughtful comments on this post. You all made me feel so much better about the picky phase Meghan is going through. It’s so good to know I’m not alone! I love my readers. 🙂
Thanks for this awesome recipe. My toddler will not eat breakfast porridge of any sort. I was running out of breakfast ideas and feeling rather stressed. This recipe saved my life. My toddler loves these goodness bars. And they are so quick and easy to make.
I’m so glad to hear that Candice! Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Would they work without the honey? Still bit little here…
Yes, these would work without the honey. You will need to replace it with a different sweetener. Maple syrup should work. You may be able to reduce it a bit, as well.
Would they work without the honey?
Hi Katy, I absolutely love this recipe and have made it a few times. I sometimes substitute the honey with date jam. Works really well.
Thanks for the recipe I just made them for my baby girl and she loved them!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Next time I am doing the original recipe…with the coconut it became TOO sweet (and I never say that!)…
Interesting!
These are baking right now! I’ve never made them before. I replaced the walnuts with shredded coconut and the honey with maple syrup and they smell delicious!!
I hope everyone enjoyed them! Your substitutions sound great. 🙂
These look good. I’m putting them in my list to try for sure!
i LOVE the looks of those bars! 🙂 I will be making these! thank you for sharing!!!!
Those Goodness Bars look yummy. I’m always looking for ways to include healthier things in my kids diet, especially my veggie-hating son. And I do resort to sneaky cooking at times! Why yes, the “butter” sauce on their noodles was 75% pureed yellow squash. 🙂 I totally remember those days of “Oh, you are not done teething!” (I recently discovered this Mom’s Guide to be a helpful tooth resource.) Thanks for posting this recipe!! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for the link, Emily. Very helpful!
I’m hearing lots of “MMMMMMMM”s as we enjoy these still warm out of the oven with a side of frozen raspberries 🙂 I like ’em and more
importantly, my daughter is eating oatmeal AND carrots!
Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely make it again, and share it with a fellow mom or 2 if you don’t mind. I’ll send them to your site 🙂
I would love you to share my site with fellow moms. Thank you! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the bars.
Mmmmm bars are in the oven. Super SUPER quick and easy to make!
I used the food processor to mix the walnuts, apple, carrot
I used cinnamon because I had no allspice
I used 1/4 organic peanut butter as I had no coconut oil and melted the last 2 T of organic butter and added that too… (mmm buttery oats)
I will let you know what we think, especially the 19 month old’s verdict!
Ooh I’ll bet the peanut butter is a great substitution! I’ll definitely have to try that next time.
These look great, Maryea! I’m definitely going to try these and pack them in Luc’s lunch for day care – but I’ll leave out the nuts. I’ll let you know how they go over with him. I hope that Meghan gets back on track with eating once her tooth cuts through…for both of your sakes!
Thanks, Michelle. Let me know what you think!
oooh good call checking her teeth! I’ve heard it can make them uuuuber fussy b/c they’re cranky and achy — poor M! I hope she cuts that tooth like a pro! mwah!
Oh my goodness (sorry, pun intended), those sound yummy. And bonus points to you for them containing no wheat! I will be trying these! I hope Meghan gets to feeling better soon! I know what you are going through, and it is not much fun. For either of you, I’m sure.
Mmm, those sound fantastic. Hopefully those teeth come in quick! I hate when they start and stop a few times, it really disrupts everything. It’s so much easier(although painful) when they come in all in one go. I meant to comment on the good eaters post but this weekend has been crazy and I couldn’t even sit down to get my thoughts together… maybe I’ll go over there and leave a comment now 😀
I’m so going to try these!!!! Don’t you love a 2 year old’s eating pattern. Sometimes I’m like….hmm….did you eat anything today?
I know! Meghan had cheese and blueberries for dinner. I can’t imagine being able to eat just cheese and blueberries and be satisfied! 🙂
Awe… Poor Meghan 🙁 I hear 2 year molars are rough. I hope she feels better soon!
p.s. those bars look delicious 🙂