These Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are great for breakfast on-the-go or for a snack.  The bars are free of refined sugar and gluten.  The original blueberry recipe from Iowa Girl Eats is delicious (of course everything she makes is!).  My second batch was made with blueberries and raspberries…Yum!  I may try to substitute applesauce for the bananas on a future batch for family members that don’t like the taste of bananas.

Wouldn’t these be great to freeze and have on hand especially for busy Moms once the kids are back to school?

BERRY BREAKFAST OATMEAL BARS

• 2.5 cups certified gluten-free old fashioned oats, divided (I actually just used the food processor on all of the oats)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup mashed banana (about 2 small or 1 large banana)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 heaping cup of berries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees then spray an 8×8″ baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
2. Add 1 cup old fashioned oats to food processor or blender and process until oats have turned into flour (Note:  I blended the entire 2.5 cups).  Set aside.  Alternatively you can use a scant cup of oat flour.
3. Add milk, mashed banana, honey, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla to a large bowl then whisk to combine.  Add remaining 1.5 cups oats, oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt then stir to combine.  Fold in the berries then pour batter into greased baking pan.
4. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center has set.  Cool before slicing into bars and store in the refrigerator.  Alternatively, you can individually wrap the bars in Saran Wrap and freeze.

Recipe adapted slightly from: Iowa Girl Eats