The amount of baked goods my family eats in a week should qualify my kitchen as a cottage bakery. I am always trying to come up with new recipes to keep it everyone from getting bored, and these blueberry oat energy bars are a fresh spin on a staple recipe of mine.
Baking as a Science
You all know that baking is a science and one shift in ingredients can make or break your final product. I have a muffin recipe that I adapt with different fruits and spices to make muffins (of course), bars, and cakes.
I know that I can add 1 cup of fruit or vegetables to the recipe and it will still turn out beautifully. I’ve been doing this for years. I will often add mashed banana, but blueberries, apples, and zucchini all work. To make a brownie-type bar, I’ve even folded in mashed avocado and cocoa powder.
How to Add More Nutrition to Everyday Foods
This is always my personal challenge. My kids are super active, and if you’re on my website, chances are yours are too. That means I am always working on adding more nutrients to their foods. They are always short on time, so I have to get creative on snacking.
I’d love to say that because I’m a dietitian, my kids are always perfect eaters, but they are not. No one is. Teens historically have less than stellar diets. This is also true for teen athletes. Throw in school, a job, and 2 hour after school practices and it’s the perfect storm for nutrient deficiencies.
As a parent, the challenges of feeding a teen athlete are many, but simply getting enough calories in may be one of the biggest. That is why I always have bars like this in the house, this way there is always a healthy snack available. Because, let’s face it, as much as I would love for them to eat fruit for a snack, it doesn’t happen all the time.
That’s the main reason these are called Blueberry Oat Energy Bars – they get more calories in my teens, and that means more energy!
Make some soon and let me know how you like them!
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Blueberry Oat Bars
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
Ingredients
1/3 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1/4 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a 8×8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl, add canola oil, egg, milk, vanilla, and sugar – mix to combine.
On top of wet ingredients, add flour, oats, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt and mix until it just comes together.
Carefully fold in blueberries
Pour batter into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool before cutting into squares.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes