Healthy Back To School Breakfast And Snack Recipes

Heide Lang, from the Fig Cooking School, joined the Fox CT Morning Extra to share “Back to School” healthy tips and snack recipes.

Lang shares her recipe for Banana-Carrot Muffins and Granola Bars. The recipes both make great dessert replacements and include ingredients, such as carrots, oats, bananas, and whole-wheat flour.

For more information on the Fig Cooking School, visit the website: http://figcookingschool.com

Follow the recipes featured on the Morning Extra:

Banana-Carrot Muffins

Yields 12 Muffins

When creating this recipe I wanted a muffin that was moist and healthy without having to compromise on taste. I also thought this was a great opportunity to use carrots, which are mild and naturally sweet. These muffins are so delicious it is hard to believe they are good for you.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup cake flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 large, ripe bananas
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1 large egg, slightly beaten
• 1/3 cup unsalted melted butter cooled
• ½ cup finely shredded carrots

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Whisk both flours, baking powder and baking soda together in a large bowl and set aside.
3. Mash the bananas in a separate medium size bowl.
4. Add the sugars and slightly beaten egg to the mashed bananas and mix well.
5. Stir in the melted butter and carrots. Mix well.
6. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir in the flour mixture.
7. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake wrappers, and fill each cup 2/3 of the way (approximately 1/3 cup of batter).
8. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick is almost clean when inserted into a muffin (a few crumbs should still be on the toothpick, or the muffins will be too dry).

Mucky’s Granola Bars
Yields 12 squares
The delicious protein and flavor-packed granola bars are a favorite of my daughter’s friend “Mucky” and his mountaineering friends in Ireland, who hike practically every weekend. Your kids will love them as well, and these high-energy snacks are perfect before or after a sporting event or dance rehearsal. As an added bonus, you can add craisins, nuts, or a little bittersweet chocolate.
Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats (you can replace up to half of this with muesli for a little extra crunch and flavor)
• 3 tablespoons honey (or golden syrup if you can find it)*
• 9 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup Craisins (optional)
• ¼ cup sliced almonds (optional)
• Heaped ¼ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F convection/350° conventional.
2. Melt the butter in a pan with the honey/golden syrup and brown sugar in a pan, and stir in the oats, almonds and craisins.
3. If you’re adding chocolate chips, pour the mixture into a bowl and let it cool a bit, so they don’t melt. Then stir them in, taking care to make sure they’re evenly distributed.
4. Grease an 8” by 8” baking pan (if you add a lot of extras, like nuts or craisins, we recommend using a 9” by 12” baking pan instead, so that the bars are the right thickness) and add the oat mixture, pressing down with a spoon to assure that it is evenly distributed.
5. Bake the bars for approximately 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Monitor them carefully in the last few minutes because can they go from underdone to overdone very quickly.
6. Let them cool for 10 minutes (not much longer, or they will be hard to cut) and then cut them into 12 bars. Wait for them to cool completely (so they don’t fall apart when you remove them) and then take them out and enjoy.

* Golden syrup can be found in the British/Irish section of many grocery stores.