My Pixie Steps Towards Healthy Eating: Oatmeal Trail Mix Cookie

My kids are heading back to school this month and we are all excited!!! My girls love to see their friends and to catch up on current events. I enjoy my some time off from being the butler and chauffeur. This year my girls wanted to take a more active roll in making their lunches. We have research this topic extensively throughout the summer. We have been on Pinterest, Google, and have visited a couple of grocery stores that carry premade lunch packages. We made a list and we are ready to sit at the cool kids table. But wait, what about the after school snack? As a member of the Leftover Club http://www.savorysimple.net/the-leftovers-club/ this was our quest this month. I was paired up with Faye from http://livebakelove.blogspot.com/p/about-us.html. She has some amazing Monster Trail Mix Granola Bar that would be great as a snack for any hungry kid.

The afterschool snack for us has to involve chocolate and cookies. After a long day of reading, math, and science my kids need a sweet snack. Our favorite snacks are oatmeal cookies and chocolate trail mix. Popping nuts, dried fruits, and chocolate chips while watching your favorite cartoon, really hits the spot. And dipping your cookies in milk while you catch up on the latest YouTube video is amazing. Then it occurred to me, why not combined them both. A 'blow your mind' afterschool snack. Nobody suspected anything about my master plan this morning. My kids saw me while I was making a oatmeal cookie batter. And then I proceeded to take out my ingredients for our trail mix. "Your making cookies and trail mix. You rock mom!" After 20 minutes I walked into the room with my surprise. Needles to say, their minds were blown. At first I was worried because they would need their minds when they get to school. Then I remembered, it is just a metaphor. We good. It's all good!

1c          Instant Oatmeal
1/2c       Whole Wheat Flour
1/4t        Salt
1/2t        Baking Soda
1/3c       White Sugar
1/3c       Brown Sugar
1/2c       Coconut oil/or Butter
1T         Vanilla
1T         Flaxmeal
1T         Water
             Chocolate Chips
             Assorted nuts and dried fruit to taste

Preheat Oven to 325.

Add flaxmeal and water to a dish and stir. Let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. This is your egg

Next add all the remaining ingredients in a bowl, your

flaxmeal egg and mix until blended.

Fill a small cupcake pan with liners and spray them with oil.

Drop in 1tsp of the batter mix into the cupcake liners and bake for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes take out the cookies and add chocolate chips. I added 1/2tsp of small chocolate chips. And pop it back in the oven for 1 minute. As the chocolate melts it will act as the glue for your trail mix ingredients.

Once the chocolate is melted, place your nuts and dried fruit into the cookies. I chose one almond, a cashew, and a piece of dried apricot. I gently pressed them into the chocolate.

And serve.