Last year when I shared a recipe for cinnamon baked apple & peanut butter oatmeal, I proclaimed that it’d probably be the only hot oatmeal recipe that I ever post since I’m not a huge oatmeal bowl fan. However, what I’ve realized is that I love to use oats all the time in recipes.
I love what a great source of fiber oats are, which definitely keeps my belly fuller for longer. When people come to me and ask how they can add more fiber into their diets, guess what one of the foods is that I always tell them to eat more of? OATS!
They’re a staple in my kitchen, and there have been countless recipes incorporating use of them on the blog – including PB & J oatmeal crumble bars, oatmeal walnut hemp energy bites and dark chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal cookies, to name a few. And today I have another yummy oat-centric recipe to share with you: blueberry chia oatmeal bars!
Recently I received a package of goodies from the folks at Farmer Direct Co-op – a farmer-owned, fair deal, organic producer of grains, legumes and oilseeds based in Canada.
They’re actually the only company in North America to combine farmer ownership, domestic fair trade and organics under one brand, which makes them pretty awesome in my book! One of their sister brands is Organic Valley, whose milk I buy for my husband every week to feed his love for chocolate PB protein shakes.
To make these bars, I combined Farmer Direct Co-op rolled oats in a bowl with (also fiber-rich, as well as omega-3 dense) chia seeds, while melting organic brown rice syrup and peanut butter together on the stove.
Next, I combined mashed banana, almond milk, cinnamon, vanilla and salt into the saucepan of peanut buttery goodness, and poured the mixture over the oats.
I added in fresh blueberries, mixed it all together, and poured it into a baking dish…
…and baked it until the oats became lightly browned and the blueberries were bubbly and juicy.
Whip up this recipe on a Sunday morning and voila, you have breakfast for the whole week! These bars are also great as a mid-day snack or healthy dessert.
Blueberry Chia Oatmeal Bars [vegan, gf]
Ingredients
- 3 cups Farmer Direct Co-op regular rolled oats
- 1 medium ripe organic banana mashed
- 2/3 cup organic blueberries
- 1/4 cup organic creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup organic brown rice syrup
- 1/4 cup organic almond milk
- 3 TBSP organic chia seeds
- 1 TSP vanilla extract
- 1/2 TSP cinnamon
- 1/2 TSP salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and coat an 8x11 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Combine the peanut butter and brown rice syrup in a small pot over low heat, stirring often as the mixture melts.
- Meanwhile, combine the oats and chia seeds in a mixing bowl.
- Add the mashed banana, almond milk, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla to the melted peanut butter mixture, stirring to combine well.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oats/chia seeds. Mix together with a wooden spoon. Fold in the blueberries.
- Transfer the oat mixture to the baking dish, spreading evenly and pressing down into the dish with the wooden spoon.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until the oats are lightly browned and blueberries are bubbly. Allow to slightly cool before cutting into bars.
Notes
Nutrition
Farmer Direct Co-op has been supplying Whole Foods with bulk bin items for years, but their packaged products are launching in Whole Foods stores this Saturday, May 14th – which is also World Fair Trade Day – so look out for them on your next grocery trip!
Tell me… Do you eat oats more conventionally as a hot breakfast, or do you use them more in your baking/cooking as I do?
I love oatmeal but I don’t use it that much in cooking/backing, probably because I’ve never been creative enough to do so but this is a great idea! I haven’t eaten much oatmeal lately as I’ve been on a smoothie bowl and toast kick!
Smoothies forever have my heart! Yeah, if you love oats, you’ll like this recipe… and it comes in handy throughout the week once you’ve baked it!
I love oatmeal and am always looking for new ways and combinations to try. I was literally thinking the other day about how I needed to try baked oatmeal so I MUST give this recipe a try. Thanks =)
Awesome, thanks Patricia! Hope that you give this a try then.
I try to make some sort of wholesome snack bars every week, and these look just perfect! I’m loving everything with oats and chia seeds right now, and blueberries are the perfect addition!
That’s great that you make homemade bars every week.. I need to start making them on a more regular basis!
This is fabulous! I love the recipe – I never think to do stuff like this! Chia seeds are a great add too… I need all the hydration I can get if today’s heat was any indication of the summer we have coming.
Yeah girl, it’s been hot out here right?! We might be in for a repeat of last year when it’s 90 for months!
I eat oats like crazy too! They’re so versatile and filling.
I’m loving the look of these bars with the fresh blueberries! I would probably dip mine in yogurt…mmm. 😉
Yeah, that sounds like a great idea! Or crumble it over a yogurt bowl… 🙂
I love oats recipes, Nicole…and this one sounds amazing! Funny story: We just started feeding little Robbie (6 months old now) oats last week. He loves them. Like he goes to town on ’em. And he’s covered from head to toe in ’em when he’s done…just like his Dad. 🙂 I need a batch of these bars in my kitchen soon!
Aww, I love that! YAY for oats!! Pretty soon he’ll be learning to cook oat recipes from his dad 🙂
Blueberries were a total favorite of mine back in the day! I would eat bags and bags of the frozen babies! MMMM!
Oh yea, blueberries are one of my favorite fruits!
Oooooohhhhhh, once again, a recipe that you post, is making my stomach growl. I used to eat hot oatmeal for breakfast when I was a kid, but of course, since we weren’t raised learning how to eat healthy, it was instant crap. haha.
Now, I sometimes eat hot oatmeal, but not very often. I mostly use oats in recipes. But my HUS loves having hot oatmeal for breakfast! He’ll add pb or honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and sometimes some raisins or fruit. He likes the steel cut ones though, and I usually like to bake with the other ones – what are they? they are smaller and a little softer I think…
Your man’s oat combos sound yummy! I most often use old fashioned oats in baking.. I definitely think they’re softer. And thanks girl, I hope you try out the recipe!