Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

“All I am I owe to my mother.” – George Washington

Happy Mother’s Day to all the great moms out there, especially my mama!

Sometimes I get bummed on holidays, knowing my family is all getting together thousands of miles away, especially when my hubby is even thousands of miles farther away. With 2/3 of this deployment under my belt, I’m starting to feel like I just want him to be home already. Everyone is different, but it seems that with me, there comes a certain time when I just start to think enough is enough! Case in point: A.) I just love love, but when I see couples big on PDA these days, I have the sudden urge to throw things at them. B.) In a daze, I stared outside at my patio last night, imagining I was sitting out there with Adam drinking wine and relaxing together. And C.) I may or may not have cried watching the season finale of The Voice last week (and another TV show or two that people are not supposed to get teary watching)… so yes, it’s safe to say that I’ve reached the point where I just want the deployment to be done with! It’d be easy to curl up in a ball and bask in self pity on days like today, but instead of doing that, I opted to keep myself moving and busy.

Exercise-wise, today was all about the legs for me. First, Harley and I went for a hike this morning, where we saw yet another snake – a bigger, scarier, hissing one this time. I had a moment when I almost turned around because I was slightly terrified (I’m not the only one, people actually did turn around!), but I just faced my fear and ran past it. All turned out okay.

I also biked 20 miles at the gym. I alternated cycling 1 mile sitting at an easier pace with biking standing up 1 mile at a higher resistance level. I’ve done this a few times now, and the intervals make the hour it takes me to complete 20 miles go by pretty fast. By the end, I’m sweating like a beast. Really, it’s gross.

[Mental note: after all my leg work today, must ice calves tonight!!]

Today’s activities also included torturing Harley with a bath, cleaning my apartment, reading by the pool, and coming up with this yumminess:

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Makes 12

1.5 c whole wheat flour
2 c dry old fashioned oats
12 oz natural applesauce
1/2 c light butter, melted
2 c fresh strawberries, sliced
2 TBSP agave
1/2 c sugar
1/2 TSP salt
2 TSP baking powder

Preheat oven to 375.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine strawberries and agave. Cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until strawberries soften and mixture becomes jam-like.

Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Combine applesauce and melted butter in another bowl, then mix the wet in with the dry.

In a greased 8×11 pan, spread half of the flour mix onto the bottom. Once strawberries are done, pour the entire strawberry/agave combo on top of the flour layer. Spread the rest of the flour mixture on top.

Bake bars until lightly browned, around 30 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting into squares.

I think they’re great for a snack on the go, and I also have a feeling they’d make a delicious dessert when heated up (and possibly eaten with a scoop of fro yo!).