Berry Oat Bars

Summer weather is finally here, but that doesn’t mean it’s too warm for oatmeal.

Oats are packed with healthy fibre, which helps keep you full and energized for longer. What most of you probably don’t know is that oats are also jam packed with many other nutrients such as phosphorous, magnesium, zinc, iron, and even potassium. In just half a cup, you also get 5.5g of protein! This is why they are one of my favourite grains.

To make this recipe a little more suitable for the warm weather, I decided to go with something that can be enjoyed cold and ready out the fridge the next morning. Perfect if you have morning practice or are running off to a swim meet.

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Prep Time                        10 mins

Cook Time                        15 mins

Total Time                        25 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 egg or  1 Flax egg (see below)
• 2/3 Cup fresh/frozen berries (I used raspberries)
• 1 1/4 Cups very ripe banana mashed (approx. 2 large bananas)
• 2 Tbsp agave/maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut or can sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Cup rolled old fashioned oats (this is important!)
• 1 Cup of oat flour (see below)*
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and LIGHTLY grease a square loaf pan (8×8) with cooking spray or coconut oil.
2. In a small bowl mash the berries with a fork. set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas, agave/maple syrup and coconut sugar.
4. Add in the egg or flax egg to the banana mixture, along with the vanilla extract and stir until well combined.
5. Add in all the remaining ingredients except the raspberries and stir until the mixture is well combined.
6. Spread 3/4 of the mixture into the greased pan then, layer the berries until they evenly cover the surface. Drop the remaining mixture on top and gently cover the berries with a spoon or spatula.
7. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean approx. 25mins** (if using a flax egg this will only take 15mins).
8. Let cool until room temperature and then refrigerate until completely cooled before slicing into bars.

Recipe Notes:

If you are using a flax egg, you will need:

• 1 Tbsp Flax seed ground up in a blender or 1 Tbsp flax meal (pre-ground)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp WARM water

Mix the flax meal and warm water together and let stand for 10 mins until goopy like an egg.

* To make oat flour, simply put 1 cup of rolled oats into a blender or food processor and blend until oats become a flour consistency.