Hey you. As summer end starts to get closer, something is just around the corner for all the parents out there. Well, and maybe some adults too. It's back to school time. Yes, it's that time of year for backpacks, sharping pencils and best of all, brown bag lunches. As a kid, I always had the weirdest lunches. They often consisted of: 1 hard boiled egg, a can of V-8 juice, a pack of saltines, a thermos of warm milk and a beef sandwich. No one ever would trade lunch with me, no one.

Flash forward years later and here I am thinking about the proverbial school lunch. How can I make a lunch that will be down right irresistible, delicious and healthy? More importantly, I need to make something completely envious to all small and big kids alike. Well, since I live in the land of granola, let's start today with a project to whip up some darn good homemade granola bars.

School Daze Granola Bars

1 cup dates (pitted and packed)
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup sun butter or nut butter
1 3/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats (toasted)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut chips
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place oats on a cookie sheet. Once the oven is at 350 degrees, place the oats in the oven and bake for 12-15 min.

Step 2: Add the dates to a food processor and pulse for 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and pulse for 1 more minute.

Step 3: In a bowl, add the blended dates & maple syrup, oats, sun butter, coconut chips and 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Mix together until combined. In a 8" x 8" baking pan lined with parchment, smooth and spread the batter in the bottom of the pan with a spatula so the dough is firmly packed. Sprinkle the sunflower seeds and the remaining chocolate chips on top of the dough. Press the sunflower seeds and chocolate chips into the dough with the spatula.

Step 4 : Freeze the granola bars for 15-20 minutes. Remove the them from the pan and slice into 10 bars. Keep in an airtight container in the freezer and enjoy!

Well, I hopefully these granola bars create a school lunch wow. Drop me a note and let me know what you remember about your school lunch. Until tomorrow kids!

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