Rainy Morning Pick-Me-Up

As I was wandering around Facebook the other day, I saw that a young lady who I knew in middle school and high school had a homemade, cranberry oatmeal bar for breakfast. Naturally, I had to ask for the recipe. I am so glad I did! These bars taste like a combination of two of my favorite foods, oatmeal and French toast. Adding the cranberries into the mix and then topping with a dollop of yogurt gives you a half of a serving of fruit and increases the calcium and protein. If you have some strawberries lying around, simply slice up a couple to put on top of the yogurt and you pretty much have a complete breakfast (full serving each of calcium, complex carbohydrates, and fruit, as well as a lot of protein in there too).

These bars are quick to put together and can fit easily in your morning routine. If your routine is an hour and 15 minutes long, you can make them that morning, or just make them ahead of time and grab one as you head out the door.

I got home from the gym at 7:05am, pre-heated the oven, mixed the ingredients, and had the bars in the oven by 7:15am. While the bars baked, I took a shower, dressed, and spent some time reading my Bible, then I took the bars out at 8:05am and was eating one by 8:10am. Not too bad.

Cranberry Oatmeal Breakfast Bars

Yield: 6 servings

1 ½ cups old-fashioned oats

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 egg whites, lightly beaten,

1 ½ cups fat-free milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla yogurt or additional milk, optional

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the first 5 ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir into the oat mixture until just combined.

Place in a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until oats are tender and liquid is absorbed. Cut into 6 bars. Serve in bowls with milk or topped with vanilla yogurt if desired.

This can easily be doubled for 9x13 if you are feeding a larger amount of people or want extras for snacks and other breakfasts.