Jam-Filled Deliciousness

So back in the day I used to love a particular fruit-filled cereal bar that rhymes with… um… boot-ra-plain.  Yeah, I’m grasping there, but sound it out.  🙂  They have HFCS in them, and since that’s something I try to stay away from these days, I made Polly’s recipe (reprinted with her permission, and my substitutions noted).

Polly’s Homemade Cereal Bars

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter Smart Balance Light (ran out of Earth Balance again!)
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats old-fashioned oats
• 1 1/2 cups flour whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I gave it a little extra)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup raspberry jam cherry/blood orange/raspberry jam

(For what it’s worth, I know I always show the Target brand oats in the pictures, but it is merely a container for the giant box of Quaker Oats I got at Costco that I use to refill it.  I prefer the Quaker Oats in flavor and texture.)

I completely neglected to photograph the assembly process, but here are Polly’s directions verbatim.

“Mix sugar, oats, flour, cinnamon, and soda.  Using your hands (or a pastry blender) cut in the butter to form a crumbly mixture.  Spread a little over ½ the crumb mixture into 9×13 buttered pan, and spread with jam.  (be sure to leave a one inch edge un-jammed, or it will ooze out the sides!)  Finally, add the remaining crumb mixture on top and press lightly into jam. Bake at 350* for about 45 minutes.   Cut into bars.”

Ready for oven lovin’.

I recommend letting them cool completely before you cut them into bars, but my greedy little paws had to taste this right away, so I took a hot, crumbly corner piece.  These are INSANELY good, so much tastier that their store bought counterparts!!  I can’t wait to make these again with blueberry filling, or peach!

I bought some new cereals the other day. I made this amazing bowl of awesome this morning.

A combination of Barbara’s Multigrain Puffins and Peanut Butter Puffins, the last of my Barbara’s Original Shredded Oats, and some Arrowhead Mills Puffed Kamut, served with plain coconut milk yogurt on the bottom, a bit of unsweetened almond milk, and a plop of peanut butter on top.  Less sugar than my normal bowl of cereal and just as delicious.  I really like the puffed kamut bits!  Amazing crunch and delicate coconut flavor from the yogurt… a perfect bowl.

Today is an exciting Tuesday!  My yoga studio’s grand opening is tonight, and after that Alex and I are going on a date for our 3 year anniversary!

What’s your favorite cereal?

❤ C