Last few days in Belgium before I head back home! It has been a crazy but freezing ride. It was so much fun though to meet up with family and friends after nearly two years! But I'm happy to go back to the tropical climate and my loving hubby @menta and my kitty cat Chivas who I both missed soooo much!
And the best part.. my bag is packed with 30kg (or 60 pounds) of goodies I can not find in Cambodia. So expect some amazing recipes shortly.
However, I say recipes while I just realized that most of the kilos are bottles of yummy red wine, which are grapes and kinda healthy too ;-)
But let's talk healthy breakfast bars now. I made these for breakfast this morning and are mommy approved. Daddy still has to try them out as he had to go to work!
I used blueberries because in 3 days I'm going to have to miss my fresh berries again for a while, but other fruits work too.
These oatmeal bars are soft and chewy and packed with all the energy and nutrients to start your day fully energized. Or why not eat them as a healthy mid-morning or afternoon snack!
Ingredients (makes a 9x9 inch pan, or about 8-10 oatmeal bars)
Oatmeal bar base
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashew nuts or slivered almonds
- 4 tbsps honey or maple syrup
- 1 tbsps extra virgin coconut oil
- 0.5 - 1 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon, or to taste
- 2 bananas
- 1.5 tsp vanilla
Topping
- 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 cup mixed nuts (or the nuts you like most)
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds (pumpkin seeds are delicious too)
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup almond milk (or any other milk of your choice)
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions
Base:
- Preheat oven to 175°C or 350°F.
- In a blender or food processor, combine all base ingredients. Process until well combined. This may take a few minutes, depending on the strength of your blender/food processor.
- Line a 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease with a little coconut oil. (I used 2 smaller ones as I couldn’t find a 9 x 9-inch pan in my mom's kitchen)
- Pour the base mixture into the pan and smooth it out with a spoon or spatula. Bake the base for 10 minutes.
Topping
- Meanwhile, combine all topping ingredients in a bowl and stir well to combine.
- When the base is ready, remove from the oven and spread topping evenly over the base. Press the mixture lightly down into base. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until the oats are slightly crisp.
- Delicious when still hot or can be served cold too. Oatmeal bars can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to one week.
Enjoy!
