Healthy Good to Go Bars
It’s no secret that getting kids to eat healthy can be a challenge. Yet anything that gets them involved and taking ownership over the food makes it easier. So be creative and get your kids involved in even one step of the process – like naming the dish!
Research from the journal of Preventative Medicine by Brian Wansink and others (Wansink, Brian, et al. “Attractive names sustain increased vegetable intake in schools.” Preventive medicine 55.4 (2012): 330-332.) shows that fun names for vegetables can make them more enticing and increase how much kids take and eat in schools. My family’s experience is that it works at home, too! What can be more fun than naming a dish yourself?
My sons call these snack bars different names all the time. One of them is “Good to Go” bars. But again, encourage your kids to give them their own name. If your kids name it, they are more likely to eat it! Even if they name it something gross that you don’t want to eat.
[clickToTweet tweet=”If your kids name their foods, they are more likely to eat them!” quote=”If your kids name it, they are more likely to eat it!” theme=”style2″]
This recipe is perfect for little fingers. It’s an easy, quick, no-bake recipe. Your kids will have a blast rolling and cutting the dough-like mixture with cookie cutters.
Our recipe uses cranberries, cherries, dried plums (remember we used to call them prunes?), and hazelnuts. Chock full of both sweet and savory nutrient-dense ingredients, this recipe is easily personalized to suit your family’s tastes. You may just have a new favorite on your hands!
This treat is great for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Other fun variations are to try using other types of dried fruits, and put a layer of yogurt on top as “frosting.”
Watch our video making this great treat.
Good to Go Bars Author: Michelle Ratcliffe Nutrition Information - Serving size: 1 oz
- Calories: 120
- Saturated fat: 0
- Sodium: 0
- Cholesterol: 0
Recipe type: Snack Prep time: Total time: 
Ingredients - 1 cup hazelnuts (unroasted, unsalted)
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup prunes
- 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon
Instructions - Blend all ingredients in food processor for about 3 minutes, until mixture forms a dough.
- Remove mixture from food processor and shape into a big ball. It may be a little crumbly at first, but will all come together the more you work it.
- Roll out the mixture with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. You can also form the mixture into bars or other shapes your kids want to make.
Notes Contains Tree Nuts
Cost: Approximately $0.40 / 1 ounce serving.
What’s your go-to after school snack? Leave us a comment about it, or share it with us on our Facebook page.
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It’s no secret that getting kids to eat healthy can be a challenge. Yet anything that gets them involved and taking ownership over the food makes it easier. So be creative and get your kids involved in even one step of the process – like naming the dish!
Research from the journal of Preventative Medicine by Brian Wansink and others (Wansink, Brian, et al. “Attractive names sustain increased vegetable intake in schools.” Preventive medicine 55.4 (2012): 330-332.) shows that fun names for vegetables can make them more enticing and increase how much kids take and eat in schools. My family’s experience is that it works at home, too! What can be more fun than naming a dish yourself?
My sons call these snack bars different names all the time. One of them is “Good to Go” bars. But again, encourage your kids to give them their own name. If your kids name it, they are more likely to eat it! Even if they name it something gross that you don’t want to eat.
[clickToTweet tweet=”If your kids name their foods, they are more likely to eat them!” quote=”If your kids name it, they are more likely to eat it!” theme=”style2″]
This recipe is perfect for little fingers. It’s an easy, quick, no-bake recipe. Your kids will have a blast rolling and cutting the dough-like mixture with cookie cutters.
Our recipe uses cranberries, cherries, dried plums (remember we used to call them prunes?), and hazelnuts. Chock full of both sweet and savory nutrient-dense ingredients, this recipe is easily personalized to suit your family’s tastes. You may just have a new favorite on your hands!
This treat is great for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Other fun variations are to try using other types of dried fruits, and put a layer of yogurt on top as “frosting.”
Watch our video making this great treat.
Good to Go Bars
Author: Michelle Ratcliffe
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 1 oz
- Calories: 120
- Saturated fat: 0
- Sodium: 0
- Cholesterol: 0
Recipe type: Snack
Prep time:
Total time:
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts (unroasted, unsalted)
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup prunes
- 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon
Instructions
- Blend all ingredients in food processor for about 3 minutes, until mixture forms a dough.
- Remove mixture from food processor and shape into a big ball. It may be a little crumbly at first, but will all come together the more you work it.
- Roll out the mixture with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters to make fun shapes. You can also form the mixture into bars or other shapes your kids want to make.
Notes
Contains Tree Nuts
Cost: Approximately $0.40 / 1 ounce serving.
Cost: Approximately $0.40 / 1 ounce serving.
What’s your go-to after school snack? Leave us a comment about it, or share it with us on our Facebook page.
Join Rootopia! Enter your name and email and get the weekly newsletter... it's FREE!
Learn how to grow, cook, and eat together!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a third party.
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Just made these. So yummy and easy. Whole family likes them.
Nice Recipe! Thanks for sharing!