Breakfast Bars

My husband and son don't like to eat when they first get up. However, by the time they are ready to eat, it's time to head out the door to school...so there were a lot of mornings with just grabbing a piece of toast or something. I knew they needed a more solid breakfast option, because then by mid-morning they were both getting the munchies and snacking on unhealthy things, leading them to not be hungry for the good lunches I worked to make. It was a vicious cycle, and it needed to end...so I came up with these!
This recipe is vague on purpose--it is intended to be high-protein and the saturated fats and whole grains make it filling, but the specific ingredients can easily be adapted for your preferences and needs.

I don't measure anything in this recipe, and it's never quite the same twice. Amounts here are estimates, but feel free to interpret them loosely...
1 stick (1/2cup) butter (or coconut oil, or peanut butter)
2/3 cup brown sugar (or other sweetener of choice)
2ish cups rolled, cracked, or sprouted grain, or leftover hot cereal (cracked wheat, sprouted wheat, rolled oats, 10grain cereal, leftover cream of wheat, etc)
1 Tbs cinnamon (add with flour or sugar)
1-2 eggs
1 or 1 1/2 cups milk (I use powdered and add extra powder for the extra protein)
2ish cups whole wheat flour
1/2-1 cup fruit, dried fruit, or nuts (raisins, craisins, chopped apples, walnuts, etc)
1/2 cup leftover mashed potatos or potato flakes/pearls (potato gives a feeling of fullness)
optional additions: protein powder, cod liver oil, etc

In a large saucepan over med heat, melt butter and brown sugar until dissolved. Add raw grains and some liquid (to soften grains). Stir until well moistened. Add dry ingredients (and additional wet ingredients if/as needed) until the mixture is about the consistency of cookie dough.
Dump the big blob into a 9x13 pan and spread it out evenly. Bake at 300 for about 30 min, or until it turns a bit golden. It should still be soft, but not mooshy.

Variations:
apple craisin oatmeal is one of my favorites
pumpkin raisin might be good! just add some canned pumpkin
raisin walnut
???
whatever you love best!