In December of 2009 I posted a blog with a homemade recipe for oat bars. Low and behold, of all the posts on this site, it’s one of the most viewed pages on Roots & Seeds to date. Who would have thought so many people would be searching the web specifically for a recipe for homemade oat bars? Well, as it turns out a whole lot! Then I got to thinking and realized that this recipe is certainly one of the best received when I recommend it to my clients. The truth is that everyone likes a sweet snack once in a while, and when we are doing our best to eat well it can sometimes be hard to make a healthy choice when it comes to satisfying a sweet tooth. This recipe offers a healthier alternative to choosing a candy bar, cookies, or even high-sugar, high-salt ‘health bars’ that are so readily available at the check-out counter in stores – which in reality, are not so great and lack sufficient nutrition.
I decided to make a cooking video for this very recipe, just to illustrate how easy these oat bars are to prepare. For anyone who’s daunted by prep-work and/or cooking in general, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how simple these are to make. And the result? Readily available oat bars that are chock full of nutrition and just the right ingredients to satisfy your sweet tooth – but are far less inclined to create persistent sugar cravings throughout the day as sugar will do. They are great as snacks or even as on-the-go breakfast options instead of cereal or bagels. Nuts are included to boost serotonin and stabilize your mood, and organic pumpkin puree is used instead of oil for moisture – thereby reducing the caloric value and also providing you with antioxidant-rich carotenoids, betacarotene and a good supply of potassium – great for stabilizing blood pressure!
As you may know, I value and encourage a conscious connection to the foods you eat, and one of the best ways to do this is by preparing your meals yourself. It’s incredibly rewarding, and by cultivating this practice even just once in a while, you will find you naturally start to develop an innate wisdom surrounding the nourishment of your body and mind with foods.
This recipe makes enough oat bars to last throughout the week and extra that you can refridgerate or even freeze for later. I hope you enjoy this video, and please post a comment if you were inspired to get in the kitchen!