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dani california cooks

homegrown and homemade in CA

Ultimate Breakfast Bars

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These healthy breakfast bars are packed full of the stuff that is going to power you through your day - quinoa, oats, almond butter, chia seeds - just to name a few. Keep these around for grab-and-go all week!

Ultimate Breakfast Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

My poor boyfriend laments about his uphill battle of him versus the DCC fridge every week. I leave on Monday morning to travel for work, and he must work his way through all of the leftovers before they go bad, or before I restock the fridge with more creations! I don’t think he has had to buy groceries since we moved to San Francisco. Fortunate for him that the fridge is stocked full of healthy goodies. Unfortunate for him is that sometimes the recipe experimentation lead to some serious misses, and sometimes they are just not man-friendly. Thankfully Nate has the appetite of a bear who is about to go into hibernation and he seems to do a pretty good job with whatever I whip up! And thankfully, the recipes lately have been more hits than misses - like these breakfast bars.

Ultimate Breakfast Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

I saw Nate eating dog food AKA fiber one cereal a couple of mornings before he went to work last week and I went all “BUT HOWEVER SHALL YOU GET YOUR PROTEIN” and then I realized that I’m not his mom. So I decided to just sneakily make him some breakfast foods that were packed with proteins and healthy fats and whole grains that he could bring to work. And I guess these got a thumbs up too by some of his colleagues (score!!)

Ultimate Breakfast Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

I had seen Lindsay from the Lean Green Bean make these for her husband a bunch of times, and I loved the way they looked. I just am not a fan of baking with applesauce! I know it’s a great lower-calorie swap for oils, but for some reason, it just has never been a texture or flavor in baked goods that I’ve been a fan of. Although one of my earliest posts of Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Harvest Quickbread did have applesauce. My mom usually has tubs of applesauce in her fridge leftover throughout the year from our Hannukkah latke parties. So these breakfast bars do have coconut oil, but feel free to go more towards Lindsay’s recipe and use applesauce if you so choose.

Ultimate Breakfast Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

I call these the ultimate breakfast bars because they are just packed full of everything you would need to get your day started. Everything from cooked quinoa to rolled oats to almond butter to chia seeds to a bit of sweetness from dates, it all somehow comes together in harmony! I also had all of these things in my pantry already, which made pulling these bars together a breeze. No trip to the grocery store required! And I used a very heaping teaspoon of cinnamon and my whole kitchen smelled amazing. I think cinnamon is my favorite of all spices!

Ultimate Breakfast Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

I can see myself making these throughout the rest of the year, and if I was still a student, I know these would be awesome to have around on my way to class. I didn’t have a toaster in college, so for breakfast I would “toast” a slice of whole wheat bread in the oven and smear some PB on it on my way out the door. Sometimes I would have iced tea in a red solo cup. If only I had known about these bars back then (and the beauty that is black coffee)!

5.0 from 2 reviews
Ultimate Breakfast Bars
 
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These healthy breakfast bars are packed full of the stuff that is going to power you through your day - quinoa, oats, almond butter, chia seeds - just to name a few. Keep these around for grab-and-go all week! (Adapted from the Lean Green Bean)
Author:
Serves: 1 dozen
Ingredients
  • ½ cup cooked quinoa
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • ½ cup whole wheat flour OR oat flour OR 1-1 gluten free flour
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (I used a heaping tsp)
  • 2 tbsp almond butter
  • 3 tbsp melted coconut oil
  • ½ cup chopped dates
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • ¼ cup almond milk
  • Optional: ¼ cup sliced almonds, to press into top of bars
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl
  3. On a piece of parchment paper, spread dough until forming a large square, about ¾ inch thick.
  4. Optional - sprinkle and gently press the sliced almonds on top of the dough
  5. Baked for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to brown
  6. Remove and let cool completely before cutting
  7. Store in fridge and enjoy!

If you like these, you’ll love: Coconut Almond Energy Bars

Raw Coconut Almond Energy Bars | danicaliforniacooks.com

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Comments

  9. I do all the grocery shopping for my husband and I as well. And I hateeee throwing away food, so I am always coming up with random concoctions when things are about to go bad. These bars sound amazing! I have recently become obsessed with the combination of quinoa, oats, and almond butter. I am going to try to make these this week. Thanks for the great recipe!
    Patricia @Sweet and Strong recently posted…Classic Vanilla CupcakesMy Profile

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  10. You should call these “everything you SHOULD be eating for breakfast” Bars. :) not only are these jam packed with healthy nom noms, they sound super delicious- score! My hubs is a picky, not really picky eater too. Men. These look perfect for both of us! I’d eat these as a snack all day long as well! Yum! Cheers, girlfriend - to a fabulous week! <3

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  11. Mmm, these look awesome! And I’ve found applesauce to be so tricky in baked goods, too. I’ve successfully swapped up to half of the oil for applesauce in banana bread and pumpkin bread, but other than that, I just use all olive or coconut oil. I’d rather not sacrifice the taste :)
    Liv @ Healthy Liv recently posted…Sophomore Dorm Room TourMy Profile

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  17. I like having breakfast bars around for easy morning meals but I usually don’t make them because many of the recipes I see have lots of oats in them (my tummy gets upset if I eat too many of them). However, your recipe seems just right and I absolutely love that it has dates and almond butter in it! Will have to try these soon. Also, my hubby eats like a bear ready to hibernate too :)
    karrie @ Tasty Ever After recently posted…Thai Braised Pork BellyMy Profile

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