My son just finished his first week at his new school, and I must admit, I was worried about how he would cope with the change. He made strong friendships at his last school and was comfortable in his routine and among the same faces every day, and when I told him he would be transferring, he let me know how sad he would be to miss his best friend. He is very sensitive, and I was so scared he would feel like an outsider in his new class. I worried that being the “new kid” might damage his self-esteem or cause some undesirable behavior changes. I imagined tearful mornings and pleas to return to his familiar space and resentment or anger towards me for uprooting him, all of which I knew were unlikely, but a mother never stops worrying.
Of course, my brilliant and charming child had no trouble fitting in. It was never my goal for him to be popular, but from experience I can say that it surely makes life easier and more fun when you are well-liked at school, so I’m relieved to see him navigating the social jungle of kindergarten with natural ease, even in his new space.
When I was his age, popular kids came to school with packaged cakes in their lunches. They would raise them high and announce their treat of the day and trade for their favorites. The most coveted by far was the cosmic brownie covered in fudge and sprinkles, which was basically currency in the cafeteria when I was young, and the lucky kids who found them in their lunchboxes would proclaim their mom to be the best in the world. I won’t be buying those for him anytime soon, but he will find a square of my fudgy black bean cosmic brownies in his lunch this week. These treats are full of fiber and protein and contain less sugar than a nutri-grain bar, so I can feel good about spoiling him a little. When I handed him one to try, he asked, “This is just a normal brownie, right?” and I had to laugh because it’s clear that my little guy is catching on to my sneaky ways. “It’s a brownie,” I said, “with sprinkles on top,” and I agreed to give him another when he quickly finished his first square … but I had to say no when he asked for a third.
Ingredients:
1 can unseasoned, low sodium black beans — drained and rinsed
½ cup cocoa powder
2 very ripe bananas
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup peanut butter
1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Toppings — A few dark chocolate chips and sprinkles
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
Combine the beans and bananas in the bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth.
Add the oats, peanut butter, agave, vanilla, salt, baking soda, and cocoa powder and pulse until well combined.
Add the chia seeds and blend until smooth and homogenous. It will be quite thick and sticky.
Spoon the mixture out into the baking dish and use a spatula to smooth out the top to make it look as much like the store bought treat as possible.
Artfully decorate the top with chocolate chips and sprinkles.
Bake for 35-45 minutes until a butter knife inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs.
Allow to cool to room temperature then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting.
Serve cold, room temperature or heated in the microwave, always with a glass of milk.
