Old-Fashioned Fig Bars: A Gift for Your Favorite Teacher!

It's pretty easy to eat healthy and feed your children healthy foods while in your own home, but what about when they walk out the door to school? While I realize that I can not control everything my children do and eat while I'm not watching (don't tell them that, I told them mom's see everything! ;) I can at least arm them with the knowledge and life skills to make better choices for themselves.  *crossing fingers, deep breath in.....
Also, it is not only within my power, but my responsibility as a mother to make sure I do my part in keeping their little bodies healthy and strong. I believe that a very big part of that means making home made foods and snacks as often as possible.

Fruit and veggies make up a big part of our snacks around here. Luckily my kids are used to this and so they are not tossing them out and holding out for crackers, goldfish, bagged cookies, gummy yummies or whatever. I make simple (key word being simple here guys, I promise), healthy snacks to send with my little ones to school and for my toddler and preschooler at home. I love that they think of these healthy snacks as special treats, in part because helping mommy in the kitchen is just plain old fun to a 4 and 5 year old. Also, home made just tastes better!


 My Kindergartners friends try to trade their packaged cheese sandwich crackers for his healthy, home made snacks that he brings. In fact, I took my two little ones to have lunch with Jack at the school cafeteria yesterday (what a treat that was ;) and I thought I would surprise Jack and let him go through the line with us, it was hamburger and hot dog day after all. Jack was very excited to show us around and get his little brother and sister a juice but he was actually disappointed that he couldn't eat the lunch I sent with him that morning (it was a last minute surprise to go have lunch at the school.). 

Not only that, but the other Kindergartner's remembered me from a field trip a couple of months ago when I shared some home made pumpkin-oat bars with them and asked what I had today! Sorry guys, we only brought enough for the teacher. It is my hope still, that these kids will tell their parents about these healthy snacks and that they prefer them over the 'snack packs'.  A girl can hope can't she? Maybe I'll sneak one of my cards into their backpacks. ;)

So, like I mentioned, I wrapped up a few of these delicious Old-Fashioned Fig Bars and brought them with me so Jack could give them to his teacher whom he adores. She loved them of course and shared with another teacher standing by who couldn't believe they were sugar-free, gluten-free and vegan!
(It's all the rage right now :)

Did You Know?

The Fig Newton was named after the city of Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Kennedy Biscuit Company, which merged into the National Biscuit Company (now shortened to Nabisco) in 1898, was based in Massachusetts, and named several of its cookies after surrounding towns. The Newton, first produced in 1891, was the most successful, and is the only one that survives today.

This is What's In the Packaged (Fig Newtons) Variety:

Ingredients: ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), FIGS PRESERVED WITH SULFUR DIOXIDE, CORN SYRUP, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, WHEY (FROM MILK), PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, BAKING SODA, CALCIUM LACTATE, MALIC ACID, SOY LECITHIN (EMULSIFIER), POTASSIUM SORBATE ADDED TO PRESERVE FRESHNESS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR.

INGREDIENTS:  Organic Figs. PERIOD, End of Story.

**Did you know that dried apricots get their pretty orange color from

Sulfar Dioxide and Potassium Sorbate?

Organic, Natural dried apricots will look more like these dried figs in colour.

They still taste sweet and delicious without the additives.

*I made two different batches. One with figs + apricots and orange juice and the second with figs + cherries and lemon juice. All other ingredients were the same

This next part isn't for the weak of heart.....
My Cuisinart food processor died a painful death a few months ago so........
I had to make a choice, chop up itty bitty by hand which wouldn't give me the texture I wanted or.....
put a bunch of dried fruit into my new Ninja Blender and close my eyes and hope for the best.
I warned you, scary right?! I've heard horror stories that will keep you up at night about people who have tried to blend dried fruit in their blenders and they broke insantaly. A crime I tell you.

So did my Ninja hold up?

YESSSSS! I only had a few tablespoons of liquid to add along with the dried fruit and nuts so I started getting nervous, cold sweats even after I pushed my luck and added the apricots to the pureed figs. Alas, there were tiny bits of apricots in my perfectly pureed fig mixture. I've got to get me another food processor!

Good Boy!

This is what your filling should look like. Pretty thick.

My Recipe:

TIME  15 MINUTES PREP, 30 MINUTES BAKE     YIELDS  12-15 BARS

Old-Fashioned Fig Bars

Filling:


8 ounces dried Figs (preferably Organic)

4 ounces dried Apricots OR dried Cherries (preferably Organic)

2 tbsp. chopped almonds

2 drops anise extract (optional)

1 tbsp. agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener such as pure maple syrup or honey)

2 tbsp. water

2 tbsp. orange juice OR lemon juice

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ginger


Snip off the figs' stems, and put them, the apricots, and the almonds into the food processor. Grind to a coarse paste. Stir in the remaining filling ingredients and process until mixed. Set aside.

Crust:

*1 cup regular or quick oats, ground in blender until fine

*1 cup regular or quick oats, uncooked (not instant oatmeal)

1 tablespoon flax meal

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 ounces unsweetened apple sauce

3 tbsp. agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)

1/4 cup water

* I use Coaches Oats Brand which is a Whole Grain and tastes toasted and yummy!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Stir in the wet ingredients, mixing well to a thick consistency. Press half the crust mixture into the bottom of an oiled, eight-inch square cake pan (use a wooden spoon or your hands). Spread the fig mixture evenly over the crust. Smooth the remaining crust mixture over the filling. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 16 bars. Each bar (with almonds) contains: 117 Calories (kcal); 1 g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 2 g Protein; 26 g Carbohydrate; 0 mg Cholesterol; 67 mg Sodium; 4 g Fiber


PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE