Just J.Faye

Hiking & Other Adventures

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

by

These triple berry almond oat bars, I love them.

 

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

 

The tasty little things are like eating fruit crisp in bar form.

And they are healthy!

And vegan!

And so, so delicious!

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

Earlier this week I was paging through the ole Duesterhoeft Café cookbook and came across the recipe for fudgy oatmeal bars. My mom would make them for potlucks and other such things, because they make such a large pan and are super tasty. I decided that I needed to make them.

But then I decided to try to make them just a leeetle bit healthier. And then I accidentally completely transformed them into something else.

Something amazing.

Something that you can eat two of and not feel guilty about afterwards.

Something that looks like this:

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

I swapped:

  • All purpose flour for oat flour and almond meal
  • Butter for coconut oil
  • Chocolate fudge for tripe berry chia seed jam
  • An egg for a flax egg
  • Brown sugar for less brown sugar
  • Deliciousness for guilt-free deliciousness

So yeah, not quite the same. But that’s ok, because I’m pretty obsessed with how they turned out.

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

On the bottom there is a crust made with coconut oil, brown sugar, almond meal, oat flour, oats, a flax egg, and almond extract. This stuff alone is pretty amazing. Try not to eat it all (you gotta taste test a little!) before getting it into the pan.

There are a lot of substitutions you can make here – gluten-free, non-vegan, etc – so make sure to check out the note section in the recipe.

In the middle there is a fruit layer made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and chia seeds. AKA triple berry chia seed jam. This stuff alone is also pretty amazing. Truth be told I don’t eat a lot of jam. I never buy it and this was my first experience making chia seed jam (or any type of jam) and now I’m in love. It’s super easy to make, tastes delicious, and is healthy! I’m sure you could easily swap out the sugar for some honey or maple syrup. I made some more again yesterday to use for oatmeal, yogurt, spoonfuls into my mouth, etc.

The two layers are topped off with some crumbled oat mixture, then placed it in the oven until baked to perfection (20-25 minutes).

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

As you can see these triple berry almond oat bars are made with a bunch of wholesome, healthy ingredients. Yes, they have some sugar, but I’d say it’s a forgivable amount. They are healthy enough to eat for breakfast and delicious enough to eat for dessert.

I ate these chilled in the fridge. I ate them heated up. Both were pretty dern good.

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

Now I’m going to go run 22 miles (pray for me) and when I come home I’ll probably polish off the rest of the pan. But to be honest, there really aren’t many left.

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These bars are full of oats, nuts, and berries - almost like eating fruit crisp in bar form! They are vegan, can easily be made gluten-free, and are super healthy and delicious.
Serves: 16 bars
Ingredients
For the chia seed jam filling:
  • ½ cup strawberries, diced
  • ½ cup raspberries
  • ½ cup blueberries
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoon chia seeds
  • ¾ cup chopped almonds
For the crust and crumble:
  • ¾ cup oat flour
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup coconut oil, solid state
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon flax meal + 2.5 tablespoons water)
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Take two pieces of parchment paper and place them perpendicularly in an 8x8” baking pan. Leave some overhang so that the bars can easily be lifted out of the pan. Grease with butter or oil spray.
For the chia seed jam filling:
  1. Add the berries, lemon juice, and sugar to a saucepan and stir on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until it begins to bubble. The fruit should break apart and release liquid. Use the back of your spoon to press down on the blueberries and raspberries a little bit. Turn to medium-low, add the chia seeds, and continue to stir for an additional 10 minutes. It will thicken as you stir.
  2. Add the chopped almonds then set aside and allow to cool slightly.
For the crust and crumble:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine the oat flour, almond meal, baking soda, salt, and rolled oats. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the coconut oil and brown sugar until they are fully combined. Stir in the almond extract and flax egg. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined.
To assemble:
  1. Press ¾ of the oat crust into the baking pan. Spread the chia seed jam over the crust then sprinkle the remaining oat mixture on top.
  2. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. These taste awesome both warm and cold.
Notes
Use any berries you want for the jam. You can also just buy fruit preserves at the store.
You can sub all-purpose flour for both the oat flour and almond meal (1 ¼ cups total).
Make your own oat flour by processing oats in a food processor or blender until it reaches flour consistency. Almond meal can be made the same way (by using almonds).
Use gluten-free oats to make this recipe gluten free.
To make a flax egg mix 1 tablespoon flax meal with 2 ½ tablespoons water and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Use a real egg in place of a flax egg if you aren’t vegan.

PS – Have you made chia seed jam before? What’s your favorite jam flavor?

Triple Berry Almond Oat Bars

Share this:

Coconut Cashew Butter

by

Coconut cashew butter. I don’t even know what else to say.

coconut cashew butter

But I’ll try to say at least a few more things.

For starters, IT IS SO GOOD. Cashews are amazing and coconut is delicious. So of course processing them together into one concoction is just amazing. I mean, seriously. So good.

Then I’ll follow that up with, IT IS GOOD FOR YOU. This little jar is made up of cashews and coconut with a little bit of honey (maple syrup for the vegans) and some coconut oil. That’s it. It’s jam-packed with healthy fats that will provide you with tons of energy throughout the day.

That’s all you need to know, right? It’s good & good for you.

coconut cashew butter

Wait. One more thing, IT IS EASY TO MAKE. Process the cashews. Process the coconut. Process them together. Add in the honey and coconut oil then process some more. The most difficult part of this is finding the energy to pull out your food processor. Oh, and the anticipation. It takes some patience to sit and watch and wait for the cashews and coconut to turn into a beautifully smooth and delicious spread. But, totally worth it.

The longer you process, the smoother it will be. I like mine with a little gritty texture (crunchy over creamy for me always), so the amount of time it takes to make this will depend on your preference.

coconut cashew butter

Just be warned, this stuff is addicting. I find nut butters to be a very dangerous thing. I’m obsessed. I’ll take to it with a spoon straight from the jar. One spoonful turns into two, turns into… umm… more. Yes, it is healthy, but too much of a good thing is still too much.

Tread carefully, but know that I do fully support spoonfuls from the jar. It’s good on toast too. And probably in oatmeal as well. And probably many other things. Enjoy!

Coconut Cashew Butter
 
Print
Prep time
Total time
 
A creamy delicious spread made up of coconut and cashews - super delicious & super good for you!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cashews (I used raw, but roasted would work too)
  • 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1 tablespoon honey (or pure maple syrup, if vegan)
  • ½ tablespoon coconut oil (or more, if needed)
Instructions
  1. Add the cashews to the bowl of a food processor. Process for at least 5 minutes or until the nuts become smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl.
  2. Add the coconut flakes to the food processor and do the same thing – process until smooth.
  3. Add the cashew butter along with the honey and the coconut oil in with the coconut butter. Process for another 3-5 minutes or until your desired consistency has been reached. Feel free to add a little bit more coconut oil if the spread seems too thick.
  4. Transfer to an airtight container (like a little mason jar) and store on your counter for up to a week. But really, will it even last that long?!

coconut cashew butter

 

Share this:

Healthy Almond Banana Bread Bites (vegan, gluten-free, paleo)

by

Sometimes it’s ok to eat ugly food, you know? Not every.single.thing you put in your mouth has to be pinterest-perfect gorgeous. These almond banana bread bites are perfect examples.

healthy almond banana bread bites So, no. These little guys aren’t the most attractive things I have ever made, but it’s ok and I will give you three reasons why it is ok:

  1. They are good for you. These are healthy, vegan, gluten-free, paleo “cookies” full of good for you ingredients.
  2. They are super simple. These bites can be made entirely in a food processor and only require 6 ingredients, one of which is water.
  3. They are, most importantly, delicious. They taste like little bites of banana bread (which leads them to be very appropriately named).

Is that enough to convince you to dust off your food processor and find a ripe banana?

Good gracious, I hope so.

healthy almond banana bread bites These healthy almond banana bread bites are perfect for so many occasions: breakfast, morning snack, lunch dessert, afternoon snack, afternoon snack dessert, pre-workout snack, post-workout snack, dinner dessert, mid-night snack. Basically, they are perfect for any time of day.

Now that I am a few weeks into marathon training, I am hungry all of the time. It’s key to have something that I can grab for a quick tie-me-over-until-my-next-meal snack and I already overdose on raw fruits and veggies as it is. Or I’ll just round out my handful of carrots with one of these guys.

These bites seem like sinful cookies, but they are not. They seem like a guilty treat, but they are not. They seem ugly, but they… are.

Looks are not everything, people! It’s what is inside that counts. Inside these we have almond butter, almond meal, banana, flax, and a little bit of maple syrup to sweeten things up – all simple, delicious, good for you, happy ingredients!

After plopping 6 plops onto a baking pan I decided to add chocolate chips to the remaining batter. These are for the days when I’m all like, “I don’t care if chocolate chips aren’t vegan, gluten-free, or paleo. I am none of those things either and today I will eat chocolate. Plus, antioxidants.” Add them. Don’t add them. Find vegan, gluten-free, paleo chocolate chips. Whatever choice you decide to make is the right one.

healthy almond banana bread bites Now let’s talk about how these are made. I essentially made my own almond butter by toasting almonds in the oven and processing them in a food processor. Then I added the remaining ingredients and processed until everything was combined. Ta da! The batter is done.

If you already have almond butter (peanut butter would also work) on hand you are more than welcome to use that. Just know that oftentimes store-bought brands come with extra oils and sugars. If you have never made your own almond butter before I encourage you to try it out!

I am still pretty new to using almond meal in recipes, but I like it. I found mine at Trader Joe’s, but I am sure they sell it elsewhere. If you aren’t able to find some, throw an extra cup of almonds in the food processor and process them until they become very, very small almond crumbs. Then take out a cup and let the remainder become butter.

Once you’re set, plop rounded tablespoons of the batter on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. I kept mine closer to the under-baked side of the spectrum so they are nice and chewy.

I like to keep these almond banana bread bites in the freezer, because I like eating cold things. Plus, they will last longer that way; however, if you make these and eat the whole batch (a delightful baker’s dozen) within four days I wouldn’t feel guilty about it.

healthy almond banana bread bites Oh, and you know what!? These would be perfect little snacks to keep in your purse/pocket/backpack for when you need some healthy sustenance in between green beers, assuming that you are celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today. I am celebrating it in Chicago and shortly after I press the “submit” button to this post I will be out the door to go awe at the green-dyed river and partake in some festivities!

If you aren’t celebrating St. Patrick’s Day today, you can still make them and keep them in your purse/pocket/backpack for when you need some healthy sustenance.

Healthy Almond Banana Bread Bites (vegan, gluten-free, paleo)
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
These almond banana bites are super healthy and easy to make! They only require 6 good for you ingredients and can be made completely in a food processor. These bites are delicious, healthy snacks that will keep you happy and satisfied. Add some dark chocolate chips for an extra treat.
Author:
Serves: 13
Ingredients
  • ½ cup raw almonds (or roasted almonds, almond butter, or peanut butter)
  • 1 tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat map.
  2. Make the flax egg by combining the flax meal and water in a small cup.
  3. Spread the almonds on a bake sheet and pop them in the oven. The oven doesn’t have to be fully preheated to 350 at this time. Toast them until fragrant, but be careful not to burn them, usually 5-10 minutes. (If you have roasted almonds you can skip this step)
  4. Place toasted almonds in the bowl of a food processor and process until it reaches the consistency of almond butter. This can take anywhere 5-10 minutes depending on the power of your food processor. (If you are using store bought almond or peanut butter you can skip this step too).
  5. Add the remaining ingredients (including the flax egg) to the bowl of the food processor and process until everything is combined.
  6. Drop “batter” by the rounded tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheet.
  7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let them sit on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  8. Keep almond banana bread bites in an airtight container for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Notes
You can replace the raw almonds and use store bought almond or peanut butter instead. Just skip the 2nd and 3rd steps.

You can make your own almond meal by processing almonds in a food processor until it reaches a fine crumb.

If you don't have a food processor a high-powered blender should work just fine. If you don't have either of those use store bought almond butter and mix everything together with an electric mixer.

healthy almond banana bread bites

Share this: