Almost Nutri-Grain Bars

We had a delightful patient the other day. She was one of those infectiously cheerful people. During her waiting room time throughout her 4 hour stress test, she chose to redeem the time by writing out recipes she'd been collecting. (Charming!) During her medication infusion, she shared all sorts of yummy creations and we swapped different ideas for baking and cooking. Before she left, she dropped off treasured copies of some of her favorite recipes.

So in honor of my patient and of P., my partner-in-crime...er, cardiology nurse, I thought I'd share this fun recipe for Nutri-Grain Bars. They turn out pretty well, although I suggest using your judgment with the dough and adding liquid as needed if too crumbly and dry. After they were cool, I cut them into individual bars and wrapped each one in plastic wrap-- tada! Your own little (almost) Nutri-Grain Bars to grab when you need a quick snack!

Almost Nutri Grain Bars (makes 15 bars)

1 c rolled oats
1 c whole wheat flour
2/3 c brown sugar
½ tsp soda
½ tsp salt
¼ c oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
¼ c apple juice
10 0z jam
1 TBS water

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, soda and salt. Add oil, egg, vanilla, apple juice and mix. Press 2/3 of mixture into 8 x 12 pan. Mix jam with water and spread over mix. Crumble remaining oat mixture over top and bake at 325 for 30-40 min. Cool completely before cutting. Cost per bar 15 cents.

(From Healthy Meals for Less, by Jonni McCoy-- great book! She is also the author of Miserly Moms: Living Well on Less in a Tough Economy.)