Breakfast oatmeal bars

I read an article a little while back that claimed that there are two kinds of people: those that thrive on variety and crave novelty, and those that prefer the predictability and comfort of the same routine day after day. While I tend to get bored very easily, I do stick to routines for the more practical parts of life. Like grocery shopping, for example! I know which stores have the items on my list and even where the items are located inside those stores. That saves me time which, with my grocery-store-hating little people in tow, is precious.



When I was asked to create a healthy breakfast recipe for Save Mart Supermarkets, I had to try something new.



I had never been to Save Mart before this week and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the customer service was great and I was able to find all of the ingredients that I needed for the breakfast oatmeal bars that I had dreamed up for this challenge!

Produce gardens!

Whole grains, non-dairy milks.

Refrigerated non-dairy milks.

Oats!

Greek-style non-dairy yogurt.

Great deal on berries!

For my breakfast recipe, I wanted to create something that could be a grab-and-go breakfast for busy families and something that was easy to make with simple, familiar ingredients. For everyone that says that healthy food is weird or hard to make or contains ingredients that are impossible to find, this is for you! These bars are super healthy, vegan, and gluten free. In spite of all that, though, they are moist and yummy and made from easy-to-find, simple ingredients which can be purchased in any mainstream grocery store (including Save Mart!).

*Look for my notes following the recipe for sneaking in extra goodies!



Breakfast Oatmeal Bars
Makes 9 vegan, gluten-free bars

2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy milk (almond, soy, rice, coconut, etc.)
1 large extra-ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons nut butter (almond, peanut, etc.)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt (soy, almond, coconut, etc.)
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper (or lightly oil the pan). Combine all dry ingredients (oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt) in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Put all wet ingredients (milk, banana, vanilla, nut butter, lemon zest, and yogurt) in a blender and blend until smooth.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter into the prepared pan...

...then bake for about 40 minutes or until golden brown and firm. Let cool before cutting into 9 bars.

Each bar contains approximately: 138 calories, 2 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and 10 grams of sugar.

*Notes: Step 2 is where you can get "sneaky" if you wish. Feel free to add extra nut butter, veggies, protein powder, chopped nuts or seeds, or other extras here (see my Super Pancakes for more sneaky ingredient ideas)!



**Legal note: I received Save Mart gift cards for creating this recipe and post. The opinions expressed about Save Mart in this post are honest and my own.