How many of you can’t be bothered to wake up a little earlier to have breakfast? How many of you shun the idea of food in the morning?
I’ve heard way too many times of friends and family who skip breakfast simply because they find it too tedious to prepare something to eat, or have no food readily on hand.
I cannot emphasize the importance of eating breakfast. It helps to kickstart your metabolism, and also helps you to focus better throughout the day. Don’t think of it as extra or unnecessary calories, some studies have shown that people who eat breakfast are actually slimmer than those who skip breakfast!
For all you breakfast-skippers and sleepyheads, this recipe is dedicated to you guys. All you have to do is grab it and eat it, since the recipe can make several portions at once!
Here’s a recipe for deliciously healthy oatmeal bars which can be made in advanced and frozen for up to 4 months. These oatmeal bars can be tweaked to your flavour preferences, and are perfect for a grab-n-go breakfast if you pack them into little ziploc bags. These bars are so simple to make, and you can literally add in anything that you have on hand, even chocolate chips if you need some to get you going in the morning!
Oatmeal-on-the-go Bars (inspired by Weelicious)
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 cups milk (any kind of milk, not flavoured milk though)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins + dried cranberries (any dried fruit you like)
- 1/2 cup almonds (any nuts of your choice)
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 3 tbsp honey or agave (sweetener of choice)
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 190 degrees celsius/375 F
- Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, stirring the dried fruits and nuts in at the end
- Pour the oatmeal mixture into a 7×11 baking dish lined with baking paper (no mess!)
- Bake for 30 minutes or until thickened and golden.
- Cool, cut into squares and serve or store in ziploc bags.
- After the bars have been fully cooled, you can pack them into individual servings in small ziploc bags to pack in the freezer. About 3-4 bars in each individual bag. These will keep for up to 4 months!
Before consuming them, allow to defrost in fridge for 24 hours. - Refrigerating the bars will make them last up to 5 days.
I even did a Tropical version of these bars previously, if you are interested in that sort of stuff. (Cue mangoes and goji berries – little bursts of sunshine and happiness). What’s more, all the ingredients are easily available, something I took into consideration when I was experimenting with this recipe. So really, you have no excuses. 😛
These bars are also great as a portable snack and I personally enjoy them served with some yogurt as well (You should try this if you have more time for a sit-down breakfast)
Bon Appetit!
Foogo! 