Let me let you in on a little secret. A secret ingredient that is. Pureed fruits, specifically applesauce, are often used as a fat replacement in baking— because baked goods are traditionally higher fat and calorie foods. But what happens when you do ANOTHER swap. Swapping the plain old applesauce for something like VEGETABLES. Can you guess what’s in these fruit and vegetable snack bars?!
My friends at Happy Tot helped to inspire this recipe by sharing their newest products, the Love My Veggies pouches. These new pouches are available exclusively at Target stores, as part of Target’s Made to Matter program. What I love about Happy Family and their products is that they are realistic about feeding families. They GET what the mealtime struggle is like. Especially when it comes to veggies.
Here are some fun facts about the new Love My Veggies products:
- Love My Veggies organic tot snacks are the first toddler pouch to contain one full serving of vegetables
- In addition to one full serving of vegetables, these pouches provide essential nutrients including Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Iron and Magnesium to help nourish toddlers’ growing bodies
- Love My Veggies pouches are available in three great-tasting varieties:
1. Banana, beet, squash & blueberry
2. Carrot, banana, mango & sweet potato
3. Spinach, apple, sweet potato & kiwi
Ok back to the recipe. Now as you can see by the images in this post [and Instagram and Facebook—if you’ve been following me], Joey LOVES the new Love My Veggies pouches on their own. They are a staple in his diaper bag as they are perfect for on-the-go snacking. Last week we were on the road quite a bit [two-4 hour drives to be exact] so I wanted a snack that was hearty enough to keep his little belly full without having to make pitstops for food. The fruit and vegetable snack bars did just that!
- ½ cup of butter, melted
- 2 Love My Veggies pouches [I used the spinach, apple, kiwi, and sweet potato flavor]
- ½ cup of honey
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of rolled oats
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- ½ cup frozen blueberries
- Preheat your oven to 350. Stir together the butter, veggie pouches, honey, and eggs.
- Add the baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Stir in the oats and flour until well combined. Fold in the blueberries. Spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Cut into bars. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.
Want to save this recipe for later? PIN it! Here’s another secret: Swap out any of the flavor pouches for a pouch you have on hand. Any flavor works great— think of the bars as a base!
See what I did there? I just don’t want you to miss out on this awesome recipe… WHICH can be made with any of the Happy Family Happy Tot pouches. Your toddler will thank me!
Great idea! Looks tasty.
Thanks friend!
I need to make these for my daughter
They were a hit in our house!
Such a great idea to use Love My Veggies pouches in these bars!
It was a Eureka moment for me!!!
Clever idea! My kids are past baby food, but love the notion of working veggies into snack bars. Thank you!
Great idea! These bars look delish!
They were so easy to make and not too sweet— which made them seem extra healthy 😉
What a great idea! Johnny LOVES baked goods (who doesn’t) and I’m sure he’d love these 🙂
Yes!! I’m always trying to find baked goods that pair as healthy treats too!
This is such a great idea! Glad that kids love it too! 😛
Thanks Farrah!
These pouches are so convenient for the little ones. And who doesn’t love a snack bar?! 🙂
Exactly Melanie!
Brilliant!!
Xo.
My kids are teenagers so we have never tried these, how many ounces of pureed fruit/veggies could I replace these with?
Sorry for the delay. 1 cup fruit purée would work!
So delicious, Katie! I used 1- 4oz veggie pouch, and 4oz unsweetened applesauce. Texture and taste came it great. Thanks for a new go-to recipe 🙂