Better Morning Breakfast Bars

One of the best things about graduating from college was the break from early mornings. I hated 8am classes and figured any new job I got wouldn’t require me to come in until at least 9am. Then I got a job at the county library here in Texas. Here I was again getting up at 8am. Honestly it wasn’t so bad as the two months from October to December was the longest period since I was 15 that I wasn’t working or going to school. I actually missed being tired as it was then difficult to go to sleep at night.

The downside to waking up early is not having much time to have a healthy breakfast. For awhile I was drinking banana peanut butter smoothies or milk with protein powder but I wanted something I could grab and go and will keep me full.

That’s where these breakfast bars come in. I first saw them on the fabulous Lindsay’s blog, The Lean Green Bean. (She also has some great ideas for healthy food prep to last all week long.) While I didn’t have all of the ingredients, I did have most of them including some decent substitutes.

I am over the moon over these bars. Granola bars I get in stores never have everything I want in them (a.k.a. taste and health.) So, working with a base of  quinoa, gluten free oats and sweet potato, the gluten free vegan breakfast bars were born. I changed a few things from Lindsay’s original recipe out of necessity but if you’d like to try her’s, here is the link.

These bars remind me a lot of Fall and Thanksgiving, due to the sweet potato, cranberries, and spices. I love sweet potatoes. They are full of vitamin C and are so good for you. Plus, if you simply roast a couple for a dinner and keep a leftover one along with leftover quinoa for these bars. Or you could be like me and use the leftover sweet potato from a restaurant’s veggie side. (How convenient!) There are also several ways to make it your own with add ins like omega-rich walnuts for healthy skin, dried dates, your favorite type of GF flour, and lots more! I don’t like mine super sweet, but if you do, simply add a little bit more agave or mix in some chunky apple sauce. No matter what, these soft, chewy baked bars are perfect for the busy morning.

Once these babies cool, you can simply bag them up for an easy on the go morning meal or snack. With all this good stuff, these bars are low-fat and full of fiber. What’s not to love?

Better Morning Breakfast Bars

(adapted from the Lean Green Bean)

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa (about ½ cup dried once prepared)

1 cup gluten-free oats

¼ cup gluten-free flour such as chickpea, all-purpose, or almond (you can use traditional wheat or all-purpose if you aren't GF)

½ cup mashed cooked mashed sweet potato or pure mashed pumpkin

¼ cup peanut or other nut butter ( I used prepared PB2 at only 70 calories)

1 large egg or flax-egg

2 tbsp. agave nectar or honey

2 tbsp. dark coconut sugar or natural brown sugar

½ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

1 tbsp. chia seeds

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup roasted pumpkins seeds or ½ cup chopped walnuts

Optional: ¼ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg

Add-ins: 1/4 cup chopped dried dates or 1/3 cup chunky apple sauce for additional sweetness.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, combine sweet potato, nut butter, honey, coconut sugar, egg, and vanilla extract. Slowly add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and mix until well combined.

Spoon mixture into an oiled 8x13 aluminum foiled lined pan. With a wooden spoon, smooth out top of mixture until even and flat.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Bars are done when a toothpick put into the center comes out clean.

Allow bars to cool and cut into eight bars. Transfer to individual plastic bags and store bars in the refrigerator.

Variation: These bars are also delicious as baked oatmeal. Serve warm and pour vanilla almond milk over top.

Enjoy!