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As someone who’s main motivation to get out of bed is the promise of a good breakfast (and coffee), I’ve never been able to understand those who skip what is probably the best meal of the day.
I’m sure we’ve all heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I’m here to argue against that claim. Every meal is important — breakfast just happens to be the best of them.
Ask anyone! 99.9% of people will say that breakfast is their favorite meal, and the remaining 0.1% are just strange. Kidding. Sort of. But come on!
Oatmeal, eggs, pancakes, waffles, cereal, yogurt, fruit… what’s not to love?
And if I seem a little overly enthusiastic, it’s because you’re talking to a girl who’d gladly eat breakfast for every meal of the day… and oftentimes actually does.
Long story short — no skipping breakfast on my watch.
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I do understand, however, that while people may share my love for breakfast, they may not share my love for getting up at the crack of dawn.
In addition to being a breakfast-lovin’ gal, you also happen to be talking to a girl who natural wakes up anywhere from 4:30 – 5 AM without an alarm clock, and rolls jumps out of bed ready to get ‘er done.
Yeah, I’m one of those annoying morning people that you just want to knock out for being so cheerful and energetic that early in the day. Sorry.
The point is, I get that not everyone has extra time to prepare an elaborate breakfast in the morning — I do.
We live in a society where it’s go, go, go from the moment we get out of bed to the moment we get back in it, and most people would rather take a few minutes of extra sleep over a hearty bowl of oats or a stack of pancakes — which is why I came up with these make-ahead breakfast bars…
Not only do they make a perfect grab-and-go breakfast, but they’re also loaded with good-for-you ingredients that’ll keep you going all morning long. And when I say loaded, I mean loaded. These bars are not for the faint of heart.
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What’s in ’em? Mainly these guys…
Dates and almonds… And oats, flour, eggs, coconut oil, and a little bit of brown sugar, but those are minor players — the two up there are the real stars of the show.
Dates for energy-giving sweetness; almonds for satiety; and both for a hearty, crunchy, chewy texture that’s just out of this world amazing…
I know it may be tempting to resort to buying ready-made bars in the stores, but you don’t want those — and I’m not just saying that because my allergy to peanuts prevents me from buying 99.9% of the bars out there.
You don’t want them because the majority of them are loaded with too much sugar, too many preservatives, and too many strange ingredients in general. Does BHT sound appetizing?
How about Red 40 or Blue 1? My guess is… not so much. But those are the kinds of things you’ll find in a lot of the popular store-bought bars.
Homemade bars, though? Specifically these ones? Full of quality ingredients that will make you feel good. I know they may not be quite as convenient, but a batch only takes about 30 minutes to whip up from start to finish, and you can wrap and freeze them individually so that you can quickly grab one whenever you need to.
And if that’s not enough motivation for ya, then there’s also the fact that they’re pretty darn delicious — I promise.
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 2 cups pitted dates, roughly chopped
- 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, leaving a few inches of overhang on the sides to allow for easy removal. Spray foil with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, mixing until fully combined. Add dates and almonds. Stir in the beaten eggs and oil, and mix well.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared baking pan, using your fingers or a spatula to ensure that it is pressed down tightly and evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until eggs have set and top is firm. Remove from oven and allow to fully cool in pan before transferring to a cooling rack and cutting into bars.