PB Apple Oatmeal Bars

Ahh the start of a New Year. I hope all of you were safe celebrating and are waking up to what will be your best year yet.

I’m going to be honest. My breakfast habits have been majorly slacking. It is supposed to be your biggest meal of the day but for the last year, mine has consisted of throwing Cheerios into a small Tupperware dish, grabbing a yogurt from the fridge, and eating on the go. And then 10:00 am comes along with some major rumbles in the jungle. Then I feel ridiculous for wanting to eat lunch at 10:30 because I’m so ravenous. I knew this year that I needed to change up my breakfast game. One of my goals this year is to increase my pallet to include more vegetables, different grains, and fruits. 2017 was the year of the pineapple. 2018 will be the year of…. OATMEAL!

Until this past December, I LOATHED oatmeal. Totally a texture thing- too mushy! I know oatmeal has so many health benefits that I want to reap. But the question was….how can I force myself to eat it? Then baked oatmeal was invented. Just for me!

I discovered this recipe for inspiration and made some changes to accommodate my own taste buds: https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/baked-peanut-butter-apple-oatmeal/

This recipe is also very versatile if you have someone with special dietary needs or allergies in your family.

Here’s what you need:

• 2 to 2 ½ cups old fashioned or rolled oats 
• ¼ cup brown sugar (or you could use honey or agave) 
• ½ tsp salt 
• ½ tsp baking soda 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• 1 ¾ cup milk (I used almond milk but soy/cow’s milk would be fine) 
• 1 egg (vegans can use a flax egg) 
• 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce 
• 1 tsp vanilla (I used a tad more because I love vanilla) 
• ½ cup peanut butter (I used Jif Natural; sunflower or cashew butter can be subbed if you have an allergy) 
• 1 ¼ cup diced apples with skins (1 large apple should work) 

Directions:

• Grease an 8x8 pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. 
• Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside: oats, sugar, spices 
• Combine your milk, egg, applesauce, and vanilla in a smaller bowl.
• Combine wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until well combined. 
• Add peanut butter and mix together very well. 
• Add diced apples and stir well. At this point, if your mixture looks a little soggy, consider adding a few more oats or apple pieces. Mine looked a little soupy so I added in a few more oats. 
• Pour your mixture into your pan and bake for about 35 minutes until the oatmeal is “set” and the top is golden. Serve warm. 

Note: After about 35 minutes in my oven, I cranked up the temperature to about 400 so it could set more. Pretty much so I could bake all of the sogginess out of it.

Guess what? It was pretty tasty and it reheats well. Next time, I think I will double the recipe so I can freeze the leftovers and defrost what I need for my week.

Some variations to try: 

• Sub apples for fruit of your choice: bananas, berries, or even peaches! 
• Add in chopped pecans or almonds 
• Add in chocolate chips! Go crazy! 
• Swirl some jelly into the batter
• Sneak in a little protein powder for an extra boost! 
• Have this for dessert with a little whipped topping  

I’ll be working on some other dishes to share with you later on this week. Thanks for tuning in!

Hummus and Pretzels,

Shan