Nutritious Recipes

In December, my mom and I snagged tickets to Disneyland. On the day of our reservation, we arrived bright and early, shortly after the gates opened, and armed with our phones and small Mickey Mouse backpacks, we immediately set off down Main Street towards the back left corner of the theme park. Well… After momentarily pausing for a few quick pictures in front of the towering Christmas tree next to City Hall and the Emporium. It was absolutely stunning — and many of the glittery ornaments were bigger than my head! We followed the familiar paths until we crossed underneath a rock archway and entered the Star Wars section. As our first time in that area, we marveled at the sheer size and detail of the rugged buildings, rocky landscape, and themed shops, then joined the queue to hop on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.  For the next twelve hours, we wove all around the park. Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain Railroad, the Matterhorn… The Mad Tea Party’s tea cups, Storybrook Land Canal Boats, Casey Jr Circus Train, the regular train all around Disneyland’s perimeter… It’s A Small World and the nighttime reveal of its twinkling holiday lights, the Haunted Mansion dressed up as “The Nightmare Before Christmas…” Along with window shopping, souvenir shopping, and performances by the Disneyland marching band and Christmas-themed Dickens band. We squeezed in all of our favorites — plus more! We also paused for a number of snack and meal breaks. We walked almost nine miles by the time the day ended, so we definitely needed some fuel to keep us going…  And if I had planned farther ahead, these healthy almond butter oatmeal bars would’ve been the perfect thing to slip into our backpacks. They’re great for quick on-the-go breakfasts and snacks — for both kids and adults! Maybe we’ll just have to go back and confirm whether my theory is correct… Anything for another excuse to visit Disneyland!     QUICK OVERVIEW – HEALTHY ALMOND BUTTER OATMEAL BARS Difficulty: Mainly easy, including for many beginner bakers. Taste: Lightly sweetened with plenty of cozy oats and a hint of warm cinnamon. Texture: Really soft, moist, and chewy — like a cross between soft-baked oatmeal cookies and fudgy brownies.    KEY INGREDIENTS TO MAKE HEALTHY ALMOND BUTTER OATMEAL BARS Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make these healthy almond butter oatmeal bars! I have a feeling that your pantry already houses common staples like baking powder and salt, so we’ll stick to the more interesting and important ingredients right now. Oats. No surprises here — at least not with a recipe title like “almond butter oatmeal bars!” To make these, you’ll need instant oats. They’re also called “quick cooking” and “one minute” oats. They’re not the ones that come in single-serving packets with flavors like maple brown sugar and apple cinnamon! Just like traditional old-fashioned rolled oats, instant oats only contain one ingredient: oats. However, they differ in one key way. Instant oats are smaller and thinner than old-fashioned rolled oats. This size difference means they soften faster, which gives your almond butter oatmeal bars the best soft and chewy texture! Tip: If you’d like to make these healthy almond butter oatmeal bars gluten-free, then substitute certified gluten-free instant oats. They work perfectly!  Flour. To make these bars healthier, I opted for whole wheat flour. It has more fiber and micronutrients compared to all-purpose flour, and I found it also yielded a cozier taste that beautifully complemented the comforting oats. I call that a win-win! Tip: I’ve included my top gluten-free recommendations in the Notes section of the recipe, if you’d like to make your batch of these healthy almond butter oatmeal bars gluten-free instead! Cinnamon. Cinnamon and oats go together like peanut butter and jelly… Or cereal and milk… Or frosting and cake. Truly — it feels weird to make an oatmeal baked treat without any spices! My current favorite is Saigon cinnamon. It has a slightly sweeter, richer, and stronger flavor compared to regular cinnamon. I love how that makes baked goods taste even more comforting and cozy! Many stores have started stocking it, but I typically buy mine online here. (It’s almost the only kind of cinnamon I now use in my baking!)  Creamy almond butter. I used my super easy homemade almond butter. It actually replaces the butter or oil typically found in cookies or bars! The almond butter gives your healthy oatmeal bars a beautifully moist and chewy texture. Therefore, for the best consistency… You must use creamy almond butter. Not crunchy. I know. This requirement might sound a little high maintenance, but there’s a scientific reason behind it! Those crunchy almond bits take up space that the creamy almond butter could be occupying in your measuring cup. This means you end up adding less of the creamy part to the batter… And since the creamy almond butter contributes to the total “liquid” volume, you end up throwing off the ratio of wet and dry ingredients — which then ends up making your bars cakey, bready, or dry. So for the best soft and moist texture, stick with creamy almond butter! Because almond butter has a really mild flavor, you can’t actually taste it. Trust me… I tried using various quantities, but I could barely detect even the subtlest almond aftertaste in the bars with the highest amount! So if you’d like to taste the nuttiness of almonds in these oatmeal bars, I’ve included an optional modification for you. (More on that momentarily!)  Egg white. This helps bind together the rest of the ingredients. The egg white also gives your healthy almond butter oatmeal bars a protein boost! Sweetener. I used pure maple syrup to sweeten these bars. Remember, that’s the kind that comes directly from maple trees! It only includes one ingredient (maple syrup), and it’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this). Tip: I don’t recommend substituting pancake syrup or sugar-free maple syrup. These contain other ingredients, which affect the way they behave in baking recipes. This is particularly true of sugar-free maple syrup! It’s generally water-based, and that makes your baked treats more bready and dry. Because these healthy almond butter oatmeal bars are