20100603

Oatmeal Banana Almond Breakfast Bars

During my elimination diet days my breakfast usually consisted of quinoa with apples, cinnamon, and maple syrup. I still eat that from time to time, but have been looking for other healthy alternatives that will keep me full and a little sweetness doesn't hurt either. let's face it, even after months of not having any refined sugar, the sweet tooth has not gone away. However, I have been experimenting quite a bit with using natural sweeteners and fruit juices rather than refined sugar. There are a few new blogs that have given me a lot of inspiration and when I came across this recipe on Healthy Happy Life I did not wait long to try my own version. These are very tasty and I imagine I will make them again and again using whatever mix-ins I have in my cabinet at the time. I don't eat dried fruit anymore because of my migraines, but craisins would be a great addition. My one issue with these, is that they are a little gummy. From past experience using flaxseed meal, that might be the culprit, but I have a lot more experimenting to do. Since I am not vegan, perhaps I will try these again with half the flaxseed meal and an egg or two. As delicious as they are, I don't think I want to eat them 12 days in a row, so I froze most of them to take out one at a time as needed; hopefully they freeze well.

Ingredients
-2 Cups Almond milk
-4 Cups Toasted rolled oats
-1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
-1/2 Cup Agave Nectar
-3 Tbsp Unsweeted Shredded Coconut
-1 Tbsp Baking Powder
-1 tsp Salt (I would use 1.5-2 tsp next time)
-1 1/2 tsp Cinnamon (I might try adding some nutmeg as well next time)
-1 tsp Vanilla
-2 Bananas (Cut in thin slices)
-1/2 C Almonds (coursley chopped)
-2 Tbsp Almond Butter
-3 Tbsp Olive Oil (I didn't have coconut oil, but will use it next time)
-1 Cup Flaxseed meal
-1/2 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce

Topping
-3 Tbsp shredded coconut, handful of Almonds, maple syrup

Directions
-Preheat oven to 350°
1. Combine oats, flaxseed meal, baking Soda, and salt into a large bowl.
2. Stir in milk, maple syrup, agave nectar, vanilla, oil, applesauce and almond butter.
3. Fold in almonds, coconut, and bananas.
4. Pour into a greased 8x8 pan (It will be very full, it doesn't really rise, so don't worry). Top with the coconut and almonds and drizzle with maple syrup. Bake for about 40 minutes, until toothpick comes clean.
5. Cool for 30 minutes and cut into 12 large squares.

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2 comments:

  1. This sounds like an awesome breakfast, both filling and sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love how natural these are, something great to feel about at breakfast!

    ReplyDelete