This week was my daughter’s first ever school camp. She, despite her excitement overdrive was extremely organised about the whole thing. Sunday morning dawned bright and indecently early as it always does in summer. But in direct opposition to the enthusiastic dawn chorus I was determined to have a lazy Sunday morning sleep-in. Kody had other ideas.

Woken by her happy singing and Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat blasting out of her speakers, I stumbled out of bed to see how late I’d managed to sleep, and what she was up to. There she was, merrily arranging requisite camp items into neat piles on her bed, then ticking them off against her kit list before packing them into her bag. I checked her clock. It was early and I still hadn’t had coffee so you can forgive me for disbelieving my eyes. Was this really my daughter? And was this really her bedroom? I blinked once or twice to clear my vision, and realised with a touch of relief that it was only the top of the bed that was tidy, whilst the rest of her room remained reassuringly cyclonic.

She seemed inordinately keen to be leaving home for 3 days and I could detect no twinge of separation anxiety or any indication that she might be a bit reluctant to leave the safety of the nest. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it that, so I shuffled off to the kitchen for my caffiene fix and to think about it.

I was just waiting to see whether I might actually squeeze out a forlorn little tear when the quartermaster general herself marched in. ‘Did you remember my lunchbox mom? And don’t forget I need £5 pocket money!’ Hmmph! I had a load of delicious things to pack for her first day’s lunch, but how was I supposed to provide for the next two days? How was she going to cope with days full of archery, kayaking, canoeing, raft-building, abseiling etc. with only 3 meals a day and access to a (no-doubt junk filled) tuck shop. My child needs food. Real, unrefined, slow release energy food. at least 5 or six times a day.

Well, I haven’t been a mother for 11 years without learning a trick or two, and so the challenge was on. The challenge to get as many healthy superfoods into a snack bar as I could, without letting on how healthy it actually was.

I started with organic oats and honey for the base, and slow release energy. Then out came every tin and packet of nuts, seeds and dried fruit I had in my store cupboard. I added sundried grapes, figs and sour cherries for vitamins and natural sugar. Nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds for protein. And a few organic choc chips as a red herring.

Mission accomplished. I knew this even before they were baked as she kept pinching bits out of the mixing bowl to nibble on. Once baked and cooled I sliced them up and, on impulse, packed a second tupperware full to stash in her kit bag. You always need extra for friends. Right, that was her sorted, but how was I going to cope for 3 days without her?

The house was eerily quiet and empty and I seemed to spend far too much time moping around and talking to Dakota’s cat, drinking coffee and eating granola bars. Luckily I’d made a double batch.

Kody , on the other hand was far too busy having fun to remember I’d even packed them for her and on Thursday morning, out came a nearly full box along with all her dirty laundry and muddy river shoes. Unpacking with 11 year old economy and only a 10th of the attention to detail that had gone into the packing process 3 days earlier, she happily dug into the granola bars, scattering oaty crumbs all over her bed.

‘It’s good to be home mom.’ she smiled through a mouthful of oats, ‘These are delicious. Why didn’t you tell me you’d packed them?’ The urge to give her (and her pile of unpacking) ‘The Look’ was strong. But I can’t actually do the raise one eyebrow thing, that’s Rory’s trick, and I was still haunted by the echoes of a child free house.

‘It’s good to have you home, babe!’ And it was, muddy laundry and all!

Please check vckb in the side bar for the recipe for these delicious power packed granola bars, I will be posting it shortly.

Tags: baking, granola bars, honey, nuts, oats, sweet kitchen

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