About Recipe

Yesterday marked the first official day of summer. It's felt like summer in California for at least a couple months, so not much has changed around here. Actually, come to think of it, growing up in California has really messed up my entire perception of seasons. Summer feels like it lasts from March to October, Fall lasts from October to December, winter from January to February and spring? hmmm, Sacramento sees small pockets of spring weather tucked somewhere between winter and summer, but this usually only lasts a few weeks. Each and every year I actually find myself asking, when does summer (or fall, or winter or spring) start? As a result, I've been living in summer for months already. I can't complain, the sunshine, even the hottest sunshine, makes me very very  happy.  One BIG change I have seen with the onset of summer, however, is a decrease in fruit prices. You guys, fruit is officially IN SEASON (cue happy dance)! Last summer I went crazy for cantaloupe and grapes, this summer I'm thinking it will be berries. All the berries. And, since my child practically inhales berries, I welcome the reduced prices of organic berries with open arms. No, seriously, I did the math one month- Octavian ate more than $100 worth of organic blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. With all this delicious, in-season and well priced fruit just waiting to be eaten, bars needed to be made. But, I wanted a healthier bar this time. I wanted something that would be delicious eaten as a dessert, snack, or even breakfast. Mostly, I really just wanted to make a surprise for Octavian since I never allow him to eat cake and ice cream and candy. So, I made my poor sugar-deprived child Strawberry Oat Bars with Strawberry Chia Jam. I should have made two pans. You guys, these bars were eaten so fast, I wonder if my child and husband's brain actually registered what they were eating. Octavian was so excited when I gave him his very own piec