Best Lunch Box Ever (32 page)

MAKE AHEAD NOTES:
portable; can be made ahead, but best hot out of the pan.

SMEAR PEANUT BUTTER
or your favorite nut or seed butter between juicy slabs of apple, and you've got a crunchy, satisfying alternative to a traditional sandwich. Granola adds texture and a bit more heft to hold the kids' appetite until dinner. This recipe works beautifully as a lunch-box main as well.

MAKES 1 OR 2 SERVINGS

1 large apple

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lemon

2 tablespoons peanut, tree nut, or seed butter

2 tablespoons granola

Use an apple corer or melon baller to remove the apple's core.

Cut
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inch off of the top and bottom of the apple (nibble those while you work or discard). Cut the apple crosswise into four
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-inch-thick slices. They will look like bagels with holes in the center.

Rub the cut side of the lemon over both sides of the apple slices to keep them from browning.

Spread the peanut butter on two of the apple slices. Sprinkle the granola over the peanut butter. Top with the remaining apple slices.

MAKE AHEAD NOTES:
highly portable; a good make-ahead option.

BAKING IS ONE OF THE BEST WAYS
to get kids into the kitchen. While my three girls love to make cookies, I'm always on the lookout for something a little more wholesome that's still appealing. This fills the bill on both counts. My kids love coming home to a plate of these lip-smackers. I serve them still warm from the oven along with glasses of cold milk.

MAKES 18 BARS

1 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)

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cup crispy brown rice cereal or Rice Krispies

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cup flax meal

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cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

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cup dried cherries or dried cranberries

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cup organic brown rice syrup (see Note)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 tablespoon water

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cup natural unsweetened creamy peanut butter or other nut or seed butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper so that it drapes a couple of inches over two sides.

In a medium bowl, mix together the oats, cereal, flax meal, chocolate chips, and dried cherries.

In a small bowl, stir together the brown rice syrup, maple syrup, canola oil, water, and peanut butter until smooth.

Drizzle the syrup mixture over the oats mixture and stir until combined. The batter will be thick, sticky, and a little stubborn.

Dump the mixture into the prepared baking pan. With your hands, press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. (If the mixture sticks to your hands, cover it with a piece of parchment paper as you work.)

Bake until the granola is golden brown on the top and darker brown around the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.