Notable Recipe: Cinnamon Breakfast Bars

For a wholesome whole grain breakfast you can make ahead and grab on the go, enjoy the protein-packed autumn goodness in these Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bars.

There’s a big debate going on in my county right now. A couple years ago they changed the start and end times for the different schools, shifting some of the elementary schools later, the high schools earlier, and a bunch of other stuff. Basically it was all in an effort to save money by optimizing the bus routes and schedules, but for the kiddos in my house, it makes no sense whatsoever. My son is in first grade and starts school at 9:30 am, and let me tell you, I am totally on board with moving that time earlier.

First, our evenings are a bit busy. These are little kids with early bedtimes, which means that in less than four hours we have to cram in picking up the little guy, making and eating dinner, homework, family time, reading, after school activities, and, you know, maybe a little play or relaxing time. And I’m not even one who has them signed up for sports and clubs and such every night of the week.

Second, my kids are early risers, and although they are better this year than they were last year, by the time The Bug got to school in Kindergarten, he was already tired!

And finally, I really wish I didn’t have to give the kid a second breakfast every morning. Yes, instead of one normal-sized breakfast, we do two smaller breakfasts. When he is up and ready for breakfast by seven (which we can’t move later because we have to drop off the little one before the big guy gets on the bus), and doesn’t start school till 9:30, if he had to go all the way till lunch at noon he would be hangry! I can’t subject his teacher to that. So while I’m not talking about serving him two giant plates of pancakes and bacon, we do always need to grab something before heading out the door. But there’s not always a lot of time to do that.

So it’s important that I’ve got some nutritious and satisfying options on hand that we can grab on our way to the bus stop, like muffins, energy balls, trail mix, and these…

These Cinnamon Apple Quinoa Breakfast Bars are simple to make ahead and keep in the fridge or freezer. It doesn’t matter whether it is fall or any other time of the year, my kids always love apple cinnamon anything, and breakfast bars are always a hit. So I knew they would happily gobble these up. In fact, I knew they’d be ready to devour them so quickly that I actually stashed some in the freezer so I would still have a little stockpile to take one out the night before and thaw it overnight, or to pop in the microwave for a few seconds if I had to grab it at the last minute. It’s perfect for a portable breakfast on-the-go.