wild blueberry + pomegranate oatmeal breakfast bars

I realize that I've been lacking in the breakfast department recently, and I promise I'll make for it. You see, my lack of breakfast recipes recently is probably a reflection of my breakfast routine which, albeit (mostly) healthy, can get a little mundane. 

You know that during the week, I don't get too creative with breakfast for myself. I usually just make a green smoothie and call it a morning.

There are some days that the smoothie holds me over until lunch, and there are some days I need a little something in-between. Those days, my stomach starts to growl at 10:45am on the dot. It usually happens when I am running around doing a million things, so I succumb to buying some sort of sugary pastry because it is the easiest and most accessible thing.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good pastry once in a while, but if I am going to indulge I want to be leisurely hanging out with the New York Times in one hand and a perfectly made latte in the other. Not rushing around with the pastry shoved in my purse sneaking bites every once in a while just to hold me over until lunch.

I really needed to chill out on the mid-morning purse pastry eating habit of mine so I decided to come up with something - on the healthier side - that I can make and keep around for a mid-morning snack. But not just something healthy, I wanted something I would really enjoy eating.

Granola was out. I am not a huge granola fan, I mean, I will eat it if it is the only thing around but I don't really enjoy it. I do love oatmeal, nuts, and berries, but if I needed something to grab on the go, the oatmeal would have to be baked in the oven instead of on the stove. 

Baked oatmeal bars were the winner. An on the go type breakfast food, or a mid-morning snack. Heck, you can even eat these for dessert with some ice cream if you like.  

I know that my busy, on the go friends appreciate breakfast recipes like this. 

 

These bars are loaded with healthy goodies. They are gluten-free (as long as you use gluten-free oats) and they can be made vegan omitting the egg. Chia seeds, cinnamon, oats, blueberries and pomegranates are all super ingredients loaded with vitamins and antioxidants. A little bonus added into the morning routine. 

I used frozen, wild blueberries in this recipe because I can almost always find them at my Whole Foods. I prefer wild blueberries for this recipe because they are smaller in size. If you cannot find wild blueberries or pomegranates, you can sub out for any fresh or frozen fruit that you like. Same goes for the almonds, if you would rather try using walnuts, hazelnuts or any other nut you like, go right ahead.  

wild blueberry + pomegranate oatmeal bars

makes
about 9 squares

ingredients 

1 cup of oat flour
2 cups of rolled oats (not instant)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ cup of chia seeds

1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup of maple syrup
1 ripe bananna, smashed
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 teaspoon of almond extract
1 cup of almond or coconut milk (unsweetened)

½ cup of wild blueberries (if frozen, be sure to defost by leaving out in a strainer)
½ cup of pomegranates
½ cup of almonds, roughly chopped

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 350º, and oil a 8x8" or 9"x11" baking dish, and line with a piece of parchment. 
• In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. 
• Then, in a medium sized bowl mix together the wet ingredients. 
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until everything is combined, making sure there are no clumps. 
• Gently fold in the blueberries and pomegranates. 
• Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan, and sprinkle the chopped almonds on top. If you like, you can also add a few more berries and pomegranates to the top. 
• Bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and removing from the pan. You can enjoy these warm, at room temperature, or chilled. They should keep in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.