With my mom and brother coming into town to stay with us for a week, I needed to come up with something to serve for breakfast the next few days. I looked at several recipes and came up with these super nutritious breakfast bars. The base is a blend of oats, bananas, almonds, Chia seeds, cinnamon, maple syrup, and a touch of coconut oil. The topping is a mix of oats and superfoods — blueberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and almonds.
Blueberries are some of the best foods for you, and they really should be eaten every day. They are incredibly high in antioxidants and very low in sugar. Studies have shown many benefits from eating blueberries, such as decreasing the risk of obesity and diabetes, maintaining bone health, lowering blood pressure, preventing heart disease and cancer, and improving mental health.
To get the maximum benefit from blueberries, make sure you buy organic. A recent study tested organic and non-organic blueberries and found that the organic blueberries contained significantly higher concentrations of total phenol and anthocyanin antioxidants than conventionally grown blueberries.
Tip: Do not wash your blueberries until right before you use them. The natural dust on them helps preserve them and keep them fresh.
In addition to blueberries, these bars contain nuts and seeds, which are high in many essential minerals, good fats, and protein. The fiber in the oats will make you feel full, help lower cholesterol, and aid in digestion. These breakfast bars will fill you up while giving you a nutritious start to your day. And as a bonus, they taste great!
Your kids may even like them!
Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Ingredients:
Base:
- 2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 2 ripe bananas
- 4 T. maple syrup, agave, or honey
- 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
- 1/4 t. salt
- 1 1/2 t. ground cinnamon
- 2 T. melted coconut oil
- 1 T. Chia seeds
Topping:
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds
- 2-3 T. raw pumpkin seeds
- 2-3 T. raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup nondairy milk
- 1/2 t. cinnamon
- 1 T. coconut sugar
- 1 cup organic blueberries
- Optional: 2 T. toasted coconut flakes
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 9 baking dish with coconut oil. Blend all base ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Pour and spread into baking dish and bake 8-10 minutes.
- In a bowl, stir together the topping ingredients. Spread them on top of the base, pressing down slightly. Return dish to the oven and bake for 15 more minutes.
- Allow to cool in the baking dish. Cut into squares and serve.
Keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I’m excited about serving these breakfast bars to my mom and brother. I hope they like them! 🙂
I made this recipe this morning. It was incredibly easy to make! It’s SO delicious and I can’t wait to eat some for breakfast again for the next several days. I may sneak in a square for dessert time with some ice cream 😉