Kid's kitchen: Frozen Blueberry Breakfast Bars

"It's too cold."

Of all the things I expected Miles to say about the Frozen Blueberry Breakfast Bars, it was not a complaint that they were too cold. I thought it would be more like, "Yummy!", or another enthusiastic expression as he was once again a part of kitchen preparations.

Yet, he was unimpressed by the frozen treat and insisted that I eat it. Not that I minded - I found the bars to be sweet and satisfying, an interesting balance to the fourth cup of coffee I had this morning.

 The recipe for the bars was sent to me by Yoplait Greek (as was the yogurt to make them ---> full disclosure) was quick, easy and very toddler friendly. Miles was able to help by stirring together the butter and granola, dumping the yogurt on top when it was cool and sprinkling on the garnish.

And since there were no chemical reactions (rising, leavening, etc.) or raw ingredients, I didn't have to worry about whether he added too much or too little of a particular ingredient, overstirred the base or licked the spoon.

The only worry, it seems, is being patient enough for them to thaw so we can eat them at a more palatable temperature.

Frozen Blueberry Breakfast Bars

2 1/2 cups Cascadian Farm® organic oats & honey granola
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 containers (5.3 oz each) Yoplait® Greek blueberry yogurt
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons Cascadian Farm® organic oats & honey granola, coarsely crushed

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups granola and the melted butter. Firmly press in bottom of ungreased 8-inch square pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes on cooling rack. Freeze about 5 minutes or until cold.

Spoon yogurt over crust; gently spread to cover. Sprinkle with blueberries and crushed granola. Freeze about 3 hours or until firm.

Remove from freezer 10 minutes before cutting. To make bars, cut into 5 rows by 2 rows. Wrap each bar tightly in plastic wrap. Store in freezer. Makes 10 servings. 

Nutrition: Calories 180 (Calories from Fat 60); Total Fat 7g (Saturated Fat 3g, Trans Fat 0g); Cholesterol 15mg; Sodium 100mg; Total Carbohydrate 24g (Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 6g); Protein 5g

Try any of the Yoplait® Greek yogurt flavors in this bar in place of the blueberry. These bars can be stored tightly wrapped in the freezer up to 2 weeks.

Big baking theory: Life with a toddler + recipe

My mothering skill have taken a hit lately.

Quite literally.

My cute and precocious toddler has gone from cute and precocious to temperamental and physical. Or, as Kim said this weekend, a boy of many opinions. He will tell you what he wants, what he doesn't want, what he likes and what he doesn't like. If you dare cross him, which I do often, his response is a bossy "I told you not to {insert action here}" - at best - or tears or ... a bop in the nose, kick in the shins, slap on the hand.

It's a bit disconcerting to say the least. Not only is it embarrassing to have your 2-year-old hit you in front of your friend or have your kid kick you in the grocery, I don't want to be that mom - the one who raises a bully.

I shared my frustrations with my grandma, whom I think was slightly amused by at all. She listened and then I listened, waiting for a grand piece of advice. I was sure after seven kids that she would have insight on how to curb hitting. And maybe she did but what she said surprised me.

Maybe Miles wasn't being a bully. Rather, it's possible he was trying to vie for my attention. It might help, she said, if I gave him a bit more focus.

I wanted to gaffe. I spend my mornings with him, I come home from work and spend time with him. We read at night and hang out on the weekend. The thing is, though, that much of my time is spent in a flurry - doing dishes, packing lunch, switching laundry, trying to get a quiet moment to myself in the bath. I might be with him but I'm not spending time with him.

So yesterday, I took my grandma on and came up with an activity that I was sure we'd both like and might bring us together.

Baking!

I thought it might be a nice treat to make some muffins for my mother-in-law, and Miles would be motivated knowing that we were doing it for Nana.

To make things easier - for Miles and my patience - I measured out all of the ingredients and prepped a few others before I brought him into the kitchen.

I got him set up on a chair and gave him directions on what to add and when but he really did a lot of the work. To be honest, I was surprised at how well he did. He didn't stir too vigorously, swishing flour everywhere, or completely miss the bowl when dumping in baking powder. Our only close call was when he wanted to dump the entire thing of salt in the bowl.

I gave him a mini muffin pan to scoop batter on his own while I tackled bigger pans for Nana and my freezer stash.

While the morning wasn't picture perfect, we did end up with some delicious muffins and a nice gift basket for Nana. Miles was more than proud to deliver it at dinner, and Nana loved having the gift. As for me, I felt better that I could say exactly what we did - together - that day.

Tangerine-Cranberry Yogurt Muffins

Makes 2 dozen

2 cups all purpose flour

2 cups wheat flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 containers Yoplait Blended Greek Yogurt, Tangerine flavor

1/3 to 1/2 cup orange juice or unsweetened almond milk

1 cup reduced sugar dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place liners in muffin pan or prepare with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla and yogurt. Add the wet ingredients to dry, stirring gently to combine. Add juice or milk to reach desired consistency. Fold in cranberries. 

Scoop batter into prepared pans. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes clean.

Disclosure: I was provided with yogurt from Yoplait Greek but all opinions and words are my own.

Award winning night {Yoplait Greek}

We runners know how to party.

And party hard.

After a tough nearly 17-mile run and couple hours on my feet doing an unofficial Nuun tasting at Fleet Feet Sports Fort Wayne, the idea of heading to my friend's Emmy party seemed ... well ... you know. So rather than load up the goodies and drive a half-hour, I curled up on the couch to watch the Emmy's at home.

I saw Kevin Spacey deliver the best of the intro/opening scene.

I saw Jim Parson's win best actor in a comedy series for "Big Bang Theory."

And then I fell asleep. On the couch. In my compression socks. See? I told you that I knew how to party.

But where I fall flat in the social department, I make up for in the yogurt parfait-making department - Yoplait Greek, fresh raspberries, bananas and toasted pecans.

The new Yoplait Greek yogurt is blended cup of strained Greek yogurt, featuring a thick and creamy texture, high protein and real pieces. The best part? Yoplait developed this yogurt as a result of learning that many consumers were not fully satisfied with fruit on the bottom and aftertaste of their previous Greek offering. It comes in six flavors – Blueberry, Coconut, Pineapple, Strawberry Raspberry, Tangerine and Vanilla – all containing 150 calories or less per serving and 100 percent more protein than regular yogurt.

Thanks to Yoplait, I've tried two flavors - Pineapple and Strawberry Raspberry. I much appreciated the blended style (especially when sharing with Miles) and found it to be thicker than the Yoplait Greek 100, which I've tried in the past. The flavor was good, and there were bits of fruit in it. I preferred the Strawberry Raspberry to the Pineapple. That said, I froze the Pineapple and now use the frozen yogurt in smoothies - how's that for putting one of my old Weight Watchers tips in action.

The Yoplait Greek is also good as a garnish for a diet gin and tonic, in Chocolate Cherry Mini Lava Cakes and Yogurt-Filled Strawberries, which celebs munched on over the weekend. Stars at the event to support Yoplait Greek yogurt’s breast cancer initiative included Laura Prepon, Vanessa Lachey and Elizabeth Moss.

I'm guessing they know how to party a bit better than I do.

I'll be sharing the recipe for the yogurt-filled strawberries on my Facebook page, as well as offering one reader five coupons good for one cup of Yoplait Greek so be on the lookout for that.

Yoplait is sure you'll like its new Greek yogurt so much that its offering a “Love it or its Free” with mail-in rebate. Restrictions apply. Find information at www.Yoplait.com/rebate.

Disclosure: I was provided with an Emmy party package that included free yogurt but no other compensation for this post. As always, all opinions are my own and I choose to review products based on items I buy regularly or would otherwise buy.