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No more excuses to skip breakfast with this very simple recipe including bananas, oats, your choice of nuts and dried fruits.
I am a victim of wanting a quick and easy breakfast on-the-go as I try to get through the door, and to be honest, my granola bar and greek yogurt routine could be better. With the new 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines suggesting we cut our sugar intake to no more than 10% of our total calories, we need to caution added sugar in our processed food products, especially the healthy-looking granola bars and protein-rich Greek Yogurts.
I had been staring at these lonely ripened bananas on my counter and realized they would be better baked in something then added to my overnight oats as a mushy topping. I came across a wonderful recipe via thekitchn.com for 4-ingredient Banana Oat Bars. In my version, I ended up using the 3 small bananas and I added in shredded coconut, whole almonds, chia seeds and pumpkin pie spice (I am a New Englander that is obsessed with anything pumpkin flavored).
Looking back, I would have added the vanilla extract which was optional and dried fruits that were included. In addition, I would have chopped the nuts to make it easier to cut than rather it looking like a square of trail mix. Take a look and let me know your thoughts and creative modifications!
- 3 small, ripe bananas (2 large also works), peeled
- 2c Rolled Oats
- ½ t salt
- ¼c almonds, or nuts of choice (recommend chopped)
- 1 T chia seeds
- ¼c shredded coconut
- sprinkle of nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
- Would recommend ¼c dried fruit to add more flavor, i.e. raisins, dates, or apricots would be delicious
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and set aside a 9 x 9 baking dish (lightly greased).
Start mashing the bananas in a bowl until it becomes a smooth liquid (I used a large fork). Then mix in the the remaining ingredients; hold off on the nutmeg if you plan to use as just a topping when the mixture is formed in the pan. Make sure to pat the oat mixture until it is flat in the pan. Bake for 25-30 mins or until golden brown on the sides. Set aside after they are cooked to your liking and then cut into squares once cooled. For a protein bonus, I spread one 1T nut butter on top. Enjoy
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