A quick and easy breakfast and snack option that you and your kids will love bringing you back for more!
Did you ever eat those Nutrigrain bars growing up for breakfast or snacks? That’s what this recipe reminds of, except it is loaded with healthy fats and fiber! The best part it is an easy recipe that doesn’t take too much time to really put together. The longest working part of the recipe is cooking up the strawberry chia jam, the rest of the time is basically baking in the oven.
I whipped these up for my daughter as an easy breakfast and/or snack option. I generally try and prepare something for her each week as part of my meal prep. It typically is something baked, sometimes has added veggies, and almost always is geared to be lower in sugar and higher in fiber.
This recipe starts with a super easy homemade chia jam. Since berry season is long gone and we are started into fall, frozen fruit can be a great option for this recipe. The jam is made up of just 4 ingredients; strawberries, chia seeds, maple syrup, and lemon juice. That’s it! Plus, you can control how sweet you want to make it by adding or lessening the maple syrup. I kept it lighter and really let the natural sweetness of the strawberries shine through.
The crust is made up of oatmeal and almond flour. Simple, tasty and nutritious! This is another great recipe where your kids can help by mixing the crust/topping, pressing the crust into the pan or sprinkling the oat crumble on top. After you bake them you will want to let them cool before cutting them. I also keep mine in the fridge after. I find anything baked with fruit keeps better in the fridge.
If you aren’t a fan of strawberries then try another fruit and let me know how it turns out!
Strawberry Chia Seed Jam Oat Bars
Ingredients
- Chia Seed Jam:
- 2 cups frozen or fresh strawberries
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
- Crust and oatmeal crumble:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp salt
Directions
- Step 1 Place strawberries, lemon juice and maple syrup into a medium sauce pan and cook over medium heat, cook for about 10-15 minutes until bubbling.
- Step 2 Remove from heat, use a masher or fork to smash the fruit.
- Step 3 Stir in chia seeds and then let jam cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.
- Step 4 Preheat over to 350F and in a mixing bowl place almond flour, oatmeal, melted coconut oil, salt, vanilla, maple syrup, and water into a bowl and mix till incorporated.
- Step 5 Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture and place the rest in the bottom of a parchment lined 8×8 pan and press down. You want it to be pressed firmly into the bottom.
- Step 6 Spread jam over the base layer and then crumble the last 3/4 cup of oat mixture evenly over the top.
- Step 7 Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Step 8 Let cool before cutting.
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