Recently we were at the grocery store and Auburn asked to purchase Quaker Oats, "Oatmeal To Go" bars. She explained a good friend had them at her house and heating them in the microwave, accompanied by a glass of milk, made for an ideal snack. In my shopping haste, plus sometimes even I get tired of immediately stating, "No," I agreed to her request. Once home curiosity got the best of me and I scanned the ingredient list...90% of it I could not pronounce. Auburn and Trey enjoyed the 6 bars that came in the box but they too were surprised by the extensive ingredient list for such a simple breakfast snack; the second primary ingredient being high fructose corn syrup. I saved the box for future reference and they agreed they would be willing to sample my cleaner interpretation of the Quaker Oak snack. I for one love anything with oats so I looked forward to the challenge.
Healthier Breakfast to Go Banana Chocolate Chip Bars
1 cup Gluten-Free Oats
1 cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour (just blended a cup of oats in my Ninja to make the flour)
2 bananas smashed
1-2T honey
1T coconut sugar
2T coconut oil
1T almond milk (or any milk you choose)
1/4-1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (I used Enjoy Life mini dairy/nut/soy free chips)
1-2 tsp cinnamon
To Prepare:
On stove top melt coconut oil with honey and coconut sugar. Remove from heat. Mash banana in the same pot and add the almond milk. In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add wet to dry and stir. Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
1 cup Gluten-Free Oats
1 cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour (just blended a cup of oats in my Ninja to make the flour)
2 bananas smashed
1-2T honey
1T coconut sugar
2T coconut oil
1T almond milk (or any milk you choose)
1/4-1/2 cup Chocolate Chips (I used Enjoy Life mini dairy/nut/soy free chips)
1-2 tsp cinnamon
To Prepare:
On stove top melt coconut oil with honey and coconut sugar. Remove from heat. Mash banana in the same pot and add the almond milk. In another bowl mix dry ingredients. Add wet to dry and stir. Cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes.
Trey's eyebrows shot skyward and his mouth gaped with the first bite. He had no idea his mom could create a delicious yet nutritiously acceptable snack. He declared, "This is probably the best unhealthy to healthy snack you have ever made!" Auburn and her neighbor friend who introduced us to the breakfast bars also unanimously agreed they were scrumptious. A word to the wise, these are sweet and the recipe could certainly be amended to lessen or eliminate the chocolate chips and coconut sugar. I only added the coconut sugar as the Quaker Oats brand contained brown sugar, one of the few recognizable ingredients on the list. It was also really important to me for my kids to like them...I have to regain trust after some notorious fails (black bean brownies.) Like we discussed in the previous banana bread post, bananas are sweet enough, we really don't need additional sweeteners. These would make a perfect school snack or birthday treat for the class room this school year. You could add blueberries, dried fruit, probably even mashed peaches to make other flavors. I again used My Whole Food Life as a resource as she offers great oatmeal recipes. Hope you enjoy them!
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Oatmeal to Go is now Gone!
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The Braswell siblings sent flowers to our parent's in Florida today. (Love the War Eagle AU sign by the patio door!) Today they celebrate 49 years of marriage. When I think back to the 4th of July, Halloween, Christmas parties, Easter egg hunts, school, church, meals, lunches, field trips, community events...plus everything in between...I am in awe. My parenting efforts and social life pale in comparison. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Thank you for reading!
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