I have a picky eater. As much as it kills me to admit, my daughter Cobie hates veggies and is quite selective about all the foods that she eats.
I realize that this is common in the toddler years and I do my best to be patient and offer her meals and snacks that I know she'll enjoy while also continually incorporating ingredients that she could use more exposure to.
I whipped up these bars last week for her and I was pleasantly surprised by her willingness to try them; even with their robust orange tang (thanks to the zest) and variety of dried fruits (I used prune, apricot, dates, and cherries).
Buckwheat Fruit and Nut Bars
1 large orange
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 cup chopped dried fruit
3 cups buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg lightly beaten
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup almond butter
1 cup chopped walnuts or almonds
Preheat oven to 350F. Line 13x9 baking pan with parchment, coat with non-stick spray.
Remove 1 tsp zest from orange and squeeze 1/2 cup juice. In medium bowl combine zest, juice, sugar. Stir in dried fruit.
In large bowl stir together the next 5 ingredients through salt.
Add egg, maple syrup, almond butter and stir to combine. Spoon into prepared baking dish and pat down evenly.
Bake about 12 minutes or until the edges are browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in pan and cut into bars.
*freezes well