Fitness Fridays: Homemade oat bars

I thought I would share another recipe I am currently loving for this week’s health post.  I found this recipe for homemade oat bars with no sugar added from hautepnk.com. I found Maya’s blog through Veronika’s Blushing, which I usually browse through on my lunch hours.

Anyways, this snack seemed easy to make and I had a lot of the ingredients already, so I decided to make a batch.

From Hautepnk.com:

  • 3 cups of large flake oatmeal
  • ~ 1/4 cup Dried Cranberries
  • ~ 1/4 cup Thompson Raisins
  • ~ 1/4 cup of Dry Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
  • 1 cup of Unsweetened Organic Applesauce (I used plain unsweetened applesauce by No Name from the Real Canadian Superstore)
  • 1/2 cup of Skim Milk
  • A dash of Salt
  • 2 tbs of Vanilla Extract
  • 2 Omega-3 eggs
  • 2 very ripe bananas

You can also add in nuts or other fruits if you so wish.  I had a bulk bag of pecans so I threw some in the mix.  I also added a dash of cinnamon for some extra flavour.

1. Pre-heat the over to 400°F
2. Add all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well
3. The consistency should be well blended; not too wet or too dry
4. For this recipe, I use a 11″ x 9″ glass baking dish. If you want to make more or less, simply adjust the ingredients respectively
5. Spray the dish with some cooking spray and then line it with some parchment paper. I use the cooking spray to ensure the parchment paper adheres. (TIP: Parchment paper is an amazing way to save yourself from having to use sprays or grease when baking)
6. Bake for 23 minutes or until it is light golden brown
7. Let cool for about 15 min
8. Cut into desirable squares
9. Remove from pan and pack them away into a tupperware while they’re still slightly warm. This will ensure they stay soft.

These bars came out perfect and they are just so yummy to eat!  I ended up using a longer pan as I didn’t have a 11″ by 9″ one.  My pan was also aluminum, so I guess it’s just personal preference on which material pan you want to use.

I have to add that although there is no sugar added, there is, of course, sugar in the mix; it comes from the bananas, cranberries, raisins, etc. so they can be sweet.

I picked up my ingredients from the Real Canadian Superstore/Loblaws as they have a pretty big bulk section.  It’s a relatively inexpensive recipe to make and you get a lot of bars once it’s baked and cut up.  I will definitely be remaking this one once I eat them all.  I have been munching on them as dessert after my lunch and dinner.  I’m not sure on the calorie information but with all these good ingredients in them, these bars are not only yummy to eat, but healthy for you too.

Make sure you check out hautepnk.com and let me know if you try out the recipe.

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