Even under the least desirable conditions (rain, snow, sleet, ice, and let’s not forget those – 40 C wind chill temperatures), I always come back to thinking that walking my dog first thing in the morning is pretty much the best possible way to start the day.
An ideal opportunity to welcome the new and rinse out the old before the chaos of the inevitable takes over and the monkey mind sets in.
And this time of year, well, it’s hard not to be in love with the outdoors. Everything is lush, fresh and inviting. Flashes of life and color on every corner.
Even our cat is getting in on the action! Our frolicking feline will actually walk to the park with us (au naturel) and hang out while we throw balls with our dog. Then, unprompted, he makes the pilgrimage home, several blocks, turns and obstacles away. Since most cats have a brain the size of an edamame bean anatomically, I find it remarkable. The sense of direction, desire to socialize, ability to navigate; mysterious and kinda miraculous, too; cats are utterly cool creatures.
Here’s to your morning glory!
- 1 + ½ cups 100% pure, uncontaminated, rolled oats certified Gluten Free
- ¾ cup whole almonds
- Heaping ½ cup dried blueberries
- ½ cup pistachios
- ⅓ cup ground flaxseed
- ⅓ cup walnuts
- ⅓ cup pepitas
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 cup almond butter
- Line an 8"x 8" (or so) baking pan with parchment or wax paper such that the paper hangs over the edges (the pan I used is 7" x 10").
- Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine.
- Add maple syrup or honey and apple sauce and mix to combine.
- Add almond butter to mixture and mix until combined.
- Place batter in prepared pan pressing down firmly with palm of hands (or mini-roller if you have one) and distributing as evenly as possible.
- Allow pan to sit in freezer for approximately 1 hour.
- Remove pan from freezer. Lift singular slab from pan by lifting up on paper. Set slab down and gently peel paper away. Slice slab diagonally into 8 long bars and then cut each long bar in half to create a total of 16 bars. I find these bars keep best in a sealed container/bag in the freezer.
Substitutions & Deletions - you can substitute any nut/seed of choice (or nut/seed butter) or dried fruit as desired (sliced apricot, cranberries, cherries, dates & fig are all delicious here). However if you remove ingredient classes without replacing them, these bars will not work in the same way.
Are Oats really Gluten Free? - pure oatmeal does not contain gluten however many commercially sold oats do due to cross-contamination issues. If you are gluten sensitive or have celiac disease, be sure to seek out certified 'gluten-free' oatmeal.
A bowl of goodness!
Try not to eat all all the batter!
Press down firmly so that everything sticks together
Voila! your slab ready to be cut into bars
Monsieur Black ~ Handsome Devil! (always in formal wear ;o)
In 1945, the Dutch Royal Family sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa Today, Ottawa showcases over 1 million tulips in its Annual Tulip Festival
Thanks for sharing these Blueberry Bliss Breakfast bars, these bars seems so delicious and amazing . Will love to try this amazing one and definitely gonna share with others
How do I hace todo the apple sauce?
I don’t normally comment on recipes, but this was absolutely delicious!! Completely recommend storing them in the freezer as they come out as chewy granola bars and stay together. I subbed walnuts for more pepitas and protein crunchy mini ball things and used PB butter instead and it was amazing
Awesome! Thanks so much for dropping in with your feedback – agreed, the freezer is the way to go! So glad you’re enjoying these bars and making the adjustments that work for you; curious about your crunchy mini ball protein things. Cheers –
These are super dooper alice cooper, fruit fur with almond butter n honey,.
Just a flossing afterwards, thank goodness for this recipe,I’m 32 and now I make my own,snack bars, these supersede ANY store bought.
Haha, thank you for your joyful note! Loved reading it and thrilled to hear you’re enjoying these bars.
Hi Kelly, how long would these last? I m looking at something which can have a shelf life for 3 months approx. Any natural additives I can add to it?
Hello, thanks for dropping by; these particular bars were not developed for shelf life I’m afraid; they will only do well in the fridge (on an ice pack when travelling for a limited time) or in the freezer.
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe… My husband just love them.. They are so easy to make…I’m on my second batch… thank you thank you..
Yay! Thrilled to hear these worked well for you and that your husband loved them — may there be many more happy batches in your future :). Thanks so much for letting me know Danielle; I really appreciate you taking the time.
I know this is not at all vegan but would it be ok to substitute the Almond butter for normal dairy butter? And if so, do you think the same quantity?
Hi John, thanks for your note. I don’t think dairy butter would work here – the thing about the nut butters, beyond their taste/protein, is that they have a sticky/retentive quality to them that acts as a gelling agent as opposed to butter’s soft/slippery properties. There are many different types (flavors) of seed and nut butters you can experiment with though, in case almond butter is not one you want to use. Let me know if there is any other way I can guide (if you have particular dietary restrictions/preferences, etc).
In case of nut allergies, a good binding alternative is puréed dates.
Also, sunbutter?
Thanks Rymo, I’m glad that worked for you. My preference would probably be to go with one of the seed butters as a sub for the almond butter — sunflower seed butter (as Lydia mentions) or pumpkin seed butter are both rare allergens. That said, one of the commentators below mentioned that the sunbutter version she made of these bars was not her favorite (not sure if that was a taste/flavor issue or texture/binding) I personally love the taste of sunflower seed butter so it may be worth a shot. Please let us know if you give it (or the pumpkin seed butter) a try Lydia – we love learning from each other.
I made these with date paste (pitted dates that come in an air sealed bag-like packaging) instead of the honey/maple and the apple sauce and it stopped it from crumbling. Great recipe, thank you!
Oh that’s such a great idea! I can imagine the adhesion of date paste being better than apple sauce for sure and they’re certainly sweet which looks after the honey/syrup component. Do you remember how much you used? Thanks so much for dropping by to share this! These bars are one of IE’s most popular recipes and there’s lots of chat/strategy around the crumble factor :) so your input is very valuable. I’m so glad you enjoyed these! Cheers.
I too would love to know how much date paste you used. And can i make my own date paste by putting the dates in a food processor? I try very hard to stay away from sugar (includes honey and agave) for health reasons.
I also used date paste instead of honey and applesauce after reading this and it works perfectly, barely any crumble. I made my own by taking a large handful of pitted dates and soaked them in hot (not boiling) water for about 5-10 min. Then I drained them, saved the sweet soaking liquid, and chopped them until they formed a paste. Super easy! I used 1/3 cup date paste and 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid into the bar mic and that worked well for me I imagine you could make it more or less sweet according to your taste. Thanks again for a great recipe, Kelly!
Can I ask, how can I incorporate whey protein in the recipe?
These are an ideal snack for a pre/post workout meal but I would like to add in more protein.
Thanks
Thanks for your note. The short answer is that it may not work (texture, taste, bar integrity) but, if you want to experiment, probably the best way to offset these potential issues is keeping the dry/wet ingredient ratios consistent with the original recipe (example: if you add 2 Tbsp powder, add 2 Tbsp wet ingredients (nut butter, honey, apple sauce). Hope that helps.
I made these yesterday and they are amazing!!! Everyone in my family loved them. Great recipe!!
such great news Alessandra! I’m so pleased to hear that your whole family enjoyed them and I appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Reading your note was the perfect way to start my day :)
Thank You :)
Finally a fruit and nut bar recipe that is NOT cooked so I can use Raw Honey :)
Ah, wonderful! So happy to hear that this recipe works for you Arlene :) thank you kindly for taking the time to drop by to let me know.
Hmmm it seems delicious!!
Do you think it s also tasty, when I bake it in the oven?
Hello, thank you for your note; this recipe was developed as a non-bake bar and would not work well in the oven I’m afraid. There are many healthy baked granola bars available on line though; here is just one example: http://www.simplysissom.com/carrot-cake-granola-bars/
I have not have trouble with crumbling. I take them out of the freezer in am and by the time we are ready to eat they are unfrozen. I wrap the bar in parchment paper just enough to wrap around it like a taco. That keeps the sticky off your fingers. As for cutting the bars, I did them slightly different. I put the mixture on in parchment paper and shaped into a rectangle. Then slid onto into a cookie sheet to freeze for an hour. Then I slde parchment and bar onto cutting board and use a large knife to slice through wrap and freeze. Easy peasy.
These are the best bars! I’m having to make another batch less than a week later because my kids and co workers love them. Thank you for posting this recipe.
I’m so pleased to hear that Pam! Nothing makes me happier than to know that one of my recipes is being made and enjoyed with enthusiasm :) I appreciate you taking the time to drop in to let me know about the bars and your method for handling/slicing – it sounds like you’ve found the system that works perfectly for you! That’s the best. Thank you for sharing so that all readers can benefit ~ have a great weekend.
These bars are delicious! I was just wondering, how long can you keep them in the freezer before you would have to chuck them out?
Thanks Jessie – I’m delighted to hear that you’re enjoying the bars. In terms of storage time in the freezer, it’s really a quality control issue (taste retention and avoidance of freezer burn etc), I suspect somewhere in the 3 month range provided the bars were properly packaged/stored. Our bars have never lasted much more than two weeks ;-).
Can you soak or sprout the oatmeal before using?
I have not made this recipe using soaked or sprouted grains. I suspect the soaked grains would affect the dry/wet ratio so if you were experimenting you might add less nut butter but there may be other variables – difficult to know for certain.
Hello Kelly, looking for proteinbars for the first time I came to your page! They look kinda good to me so I will certainly give them a try. I have a question about the applesauce though..I’m trying to avoid the so called fodmap’s and apple is one of them :( . Can you help me with a replacing ingredient? What would work in stead of the apple sauce?
And secondly can you is there a recipe for almond butter? I don’t think I can buy that in Holland??
Hello Renee, I hope you enjoy the recipe if you have an opportunity to give it a try. For applesauce substitutes, you can try puréed pear or banana. There are many almond butter recipes available on-line if you wish to make your own — the one thing I would caution about is making sure you are using the right kind of food processor otherwise you risk overheating (burning) your blender motor. Here is one article that talks a little bit about the dos and don’ts of making nut butter: http://www.juliemorris.net/the-dos-donts-of-making-nut-butter/
Hi Kipp, thanks for dropping by with your feedback. You’re spot on about the price… I think I mention it at some point in the comment chain that I encourage experimenting but also recognize that the cost of these quality ingredients is on the steep side, to say the least. That said, I am so intrigued by your method and would love to hear if it worked. Please share with us if you have an opportunity.
I made these bars this morning and I knew as I was adding the ingredients to the bowl that the taste would have to be wonderful. I had no problem cutting them into bars, although I only yielded 14 good size bars. I thought cutting any smaller would add to the crumble factor. I had no crumble at all. They are sticky! As I was reading the comments I was torn on whether to even try them because of having to keep them in the freezer. I have an athlete-teen who I need to provide healthy bars to on the go. I though, oh well, these will just be our in-house bars. But then the light bulb went on. Heating honey to 270F, or what is called the hard ball stage, will bind these beauties together without having to keep them in the freezer. I may have to raise the amount of honey and lower the amount of applesauce a bit, but I think it might work well. My go-to bars use this method, using 1/2 cup honey to 3 cups drying ingredients (1-1/2 nuts, 1-1/2 coconut). This recipe has 4-1/2 dry ingredients, so I am figuring 3/4 cup honey should do it. At slightly over $17 in ingredients in the pan, I have got to make these portable or they just won’t make the cut.
Pretty much the only that could make these bars better would be not crumbling! So you just heat the honey in a pan before adding it to the other ingredients? Sounds like it would be hard to stir thoroughly, but I’m willing to give it a try.
You will need a candy thermometer to make sure that the honey heats to 270F. You need to add a little water to the honey. It is 3 tablespoons to every 1/2 cup honey, so 4-1/2 tablespoons of water if using 3/4 cup honey. It takes a while over medium heat to reach 270F, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After the honey reaches the desired temperature you remove it immediately from the heat and add all of your other ingredients to the pot and stir to coat everything evenly. The honey will be in a more “liquid” form and will coat the ingredients easily. As the mixture cools the honey will harden and hold the bars together. I haven’t tried this method yet, but the more I think about it, I would probably whisk the almond butter in to the honey first quickly and then add the dry ingredients. I am not sure if the applesauce would work well with this method either. I usually only add dry ingredients to the honey/water (and for my recipe, vanilla and salt).
Thank you Kelly for this amazing recipe. I can’t wait to try it and share it with my family, I know they will love it.
Hi Anne, thank you kindly for dropping by. I’m so pleased to hear that you’re going to give this recipe a try. If you have a moment, please let me know how you and your family enjoy it… the journey through the tulips is amazing, isn’t it. A soul brightener indeed :) have a lovely evening.
Their delicious… how do you cut it so well?
Is it my bad knife? I sharpened it. I find the blueberries don’t cut well and break up the bar.
I’m trying to give the recipe five stars but it won’t let me… hmmm…
Hello Hedel, thank you for dropping by, I’m so pleased to hear you like the taste of these bars! There is definitely some crumble effect with natural bars (it’s one of those small but unavoidable trade-offs of using natural ingredients versus the binders/fillers and gelling agents found in commercial bars). Having said that, slicing the bars when they are frozen with singular strong strokes (not a sawing action) may help improve integrity — a bit like slicing biscotti if you have ever made them – you want to commit to the slice by going fully through the bar with the knife. By the way, something else you could try with the batter is shaping it into bite-sized balls instead of laying it out in a pan — freezing the balls and enjoying them as blueberry bliss bites rather than bars will allow you to avoid the slicing issue all together :). I hope this info helps.
Thank you for trying to select the 5 stars – sometimes the rate recipe function is not fully operational it seems (not sure why) but I appreciate the sentiment. Have a lovely day and thank you again for trying this recipe.
Hello- Can you share the nutrition information? I read through all your comments and saw you mentioned a nutrition facts panel, but I don’t see it.
Thanks,
Rachel
Hello Rachel, you will find the nutrition information at the bottom of the recipe card in the post. Additional information that the new format does not allow for: Vitamin A: 1% Calcium: 7% Vitamin C 1% Iron 9% based on a 2000 calorie diet. Cheers and have a great day.
Hello Kelly.
I have just found your health slice recipe. It looks so delicious and healthy. If you don’t mind I would love to have a copy of your recipe. I noticed from your reply to the previous persons email that the print functionality is not working at present. I am always looking for new recipes as my family are all very much into health and fitness. Plus, I have some who are vegan. I know they would absolutely love this health bar.
Many thanks Kelly.
Cheers
Anne from Australia
Good Morning Anne, I’m delighted to hear you will be giving these bars a try and even more excited to let you know that I have just updated the post with compatible print function. For best results, please read through the Notes section of the recipe card and if you have a moment, drop in to let me know how you made out. I always love hearing from my readers. Have a beautiful day :)
Can’t wait to try these for my constantly-in-need-of-food teenage son!
Is there a way to print out the recipe?
Heeheeh, yes, I just happen to know a little something about the appetite of teenage boys :p I hope your son enjoys these bars as much as ours do!
I switched over to wordpress (blogging platform) in the fall of 2014 with a different print functionality than the one that is currently attached to this post (blogger) so regrettably, at the moment, printing is not available (though that will get remedied) — in the meantime, I would be glad to send you the recipe via email and you could simply print from there. You can reach me at Kelly [at] trinitynutrition [dot] ca.
Hi,
I really want to make these!! Could you tell me what mg of vitamin a, vitamin c, calcium and iron is in each bar?
Hello Emma, I’m delighted to hear your enthusiasm for these bars… they are a favorite in our home and with the Inspired Edibles community :) I hope you love them too!
The Nutrition Facts panel in the recipe card above provides an estimate of the percentage daily value (based on a 2,000 calorie diet) of vitamin A and C, calcium and iron per 52 mg serving size of these bars but I don’t have the means to accurately break that down for you in milligrams. Hopefully nothing turns on that level of precision and you can still enjoy these bars. Cheers.
my husband and I absolutely ADORE these. We are trying to get back on track and got a trainer. She wrote us a plan and told us to eat protein bars for one meal when we have serious workouts. Well, I HATE ALL PROTEIN BARS OUT there. so this was a great source of protein and it was delicious. We even take it on the road when we travel to save on snacking. Thank you for such an amazing recipe. I omitted the walnuts because my hubby is not a fan but it still came out amazing!
What a lovely note – thank you Sonia. I’m delighted to hear that these bars are working out so well for you and I also think it’s wonderful that you and your husband are working towards your health goals together. I love your enthusiasm and appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. By the way, you could always sub a different nut in place of the walnut if you feel like experimenting :) Cheers to you and your husband!
Yummy but sticky…
Yay! I’m so happy you enjoyed the taste of these bars and thank you for dropping in with your feedback. Homemade bars do not contain artificial binders and fillers, etc. the way commercial bars do — on balance, I’m okay with a little stickiness ;-)
These look really good. My dad is all about healthy eating so I literally just put the batter in the freezer, it’s going to his birthday gift. However, my final product (before putting into the pan) didn’t look quite like yours did, it may be due to the fact that almond butter was unavailable to me. Will that have an affect on the bars?
Hello there! How wonderful that you are making these as a gift for your dad – I’m certain he will appreciate your thoughtfulness (and hopefully enjoy the bars too!). I wasn’t certain from your note whether you substituted a different butter in place of the almond (like peanut butter for example) or omitted it from the recipe all together. A substitution might change the taste but should work consistency wise but omitting the butter all together would not work because it is a substantial part of the recipe… I hope it was the former :) would love to hear how it went!
I love your recipe! I actually added it to my latest post, Berry Recipe Roundup, featuring the healthiest and best berry recipes around the web.
How nice to hear Katharine ~ thank you! I’m delighted you like the recipe.
Good Morning, I am trying to be grain free and need some of your thoughts for what to replace the oatmeal with. Also, I was thinking of trying a fall flavored bar by substituting the applesauce with pumpkin puree, adding some pumpkin pie spices and possibly dried carrots or ground up carrots instead of the fruit. Thanks so much! I am totally excited about trying your recipe! Terri
Hi Terri, thank you for connecting and apologies for the delay. I don’t believe I have ever made a grain-free bar (gluten-free and nut-free, but not grain free) so that’s something I would have to develop in order to give accurate feedback on. I find with bars, it’s all about experimentation and it’s amazing how small changes can add up to big differences in result (both successful and unsuccessful) — you could try a straight sub of pumpkin puree in place of the apple sauce in this recipe (and maybe mix in some cinnamon/nutmeg for flavoring) to see how you like it — at one point I did try a fall flavored one but I think I tried to change too many things in the original recipe and in the end, it was not nearly as good. Trial and error — sometimes you get lucky and land a gem :)
I made the Breakfast Bars, minus the Blueberries and my picky Hubby loved them! First time I ever made anything home-made. Thank you!
Julie! How great is that? I’m thrilled to hear that it worked out and thank you for giving them a try. I have a new bar that I’m testing out right now, let’s hope it’s another hubby winner :). Yay!! so great of you to take the time to let me know; truly appreciate it. Have a beautiful day!
Loved the photo of your cat (hope he’s still well) and the tulips. This will be my first attempt at making a healthy bar and I don’t think I could ever get a better and more delicious recipe to start with, although I’ve never heard of some of the ingredients and hope I don’t look like a right royal idiot if I ask for the wrong thing in my health food store (which I very rarely visit). I want to climb a little way (a very little way) up the Matterhorn in a few months and the bars will help me with the energy I need and they should be OK as they will be kept nice and cool going up there!Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Colin, this note brought me the biggest smile. In terms of our nutrition journeys, we all have to start somewhere so please don’t ever feel awkward or embarrassed about that — if I can help out in any way, just let me know. Climbing the Matterhorn sounds like quite the undertaking — spectacular! I hope my bars measure up and survive the voyage :o). All the best on your exciting journey — please let me know how the bars turn out if you end up giving them a go. Cheers and thank you kindly for dropping by.
p.s. Monsieur Black is in fine form and loving the longer hunting season here in CA :)
Kelly, thank you. Crumbly, or not, they truly are amazing! I will try to use a bit more applesauce next time. This is a healthy treat, I actually have to fight with my teenage son for! (well, not really fight ;) )
love it Bernadette! I have to race my teenage sons for these bars too! (and that’s a good problem to have with teenagers, right?) :p
Yes indeed, Kelly. Just a rare situation to come by & I absolutely Love It!
I absolutely love the flavor packed into this recipe! Nutty, with just the right amount of sweet from the blueberries and almond butter.
Can you share any tips as to help hold the bar together when I cut them?
My bars crumbled a bit upon cutting them, and if I don’t eat it immediately from the freezer it will crumble as well. Outside of this, I love the recipe and will continue to make them (even if they don’t hold together just right). D E L I C I O U S !!!
wonderful Bernadette! Thank you for letting me know. My best suggestion would be to add a bit more of the wet ingredients — apple sauce or nut butter — or ease off on some of the dry to see if you achieve greater adherence. The nature of these bars though is that they will almost always have some crumble effect because they don’t contain artificial binders and emulsifiers the way commercial bars/baked goods do (polysorbate 80, lecithin, carrageenan, polyglycerols, xanthan and/or other “gums” are almost always present in processed foods to prevent separation). If you wanted to be experimental, you could try a pinch of potato starch (natural) to see if this helps with binding. Let me know if you give it a try! I would love to hear the result. Cheers and thank you again for your feedback.
I found this recipe online somewhere a couple of years ago – I guess it was you? A different looking website. Anyway. I am obsessed and ALWAYS have them on hand in my freezer. I have always made them with dried cranberries – but after doing a cleanse recently I will try them with a no-added-sugar dried fruit next time I make them. They are awesome. Don’t try them with sunflower butter – I did and it was no bueno. They don’t travel too well (break apart when they warm up a bit) but I just plan accordingly or throw them in a bag with a cold pack. YUM.
Hi Amy! Thank you so much for stopping by. Yes, it was me all along :) I changed blogging platforms in the fall of 2014 — new look with greater functionality and photographic amplitude. The comment section did not migrate well which is unfortunate (I may try and fix the order up at some point), but overall the transition was smooth.
I’m pleased to receive your feedback — I agree, the bars do best stored in the freezer and do not travel particularly well. I do occasionally tuck them into containers and travel with them on ice (cold pack as you say) the boys have also enjoyed them in their lunch boxes when packed this way. It’s fun to experiment with different butters even if you end up coming back to a favorite (too bad they cost so much though). I’m so pleased that you’re enjoying these bars and greatly appreciate you taking the time to let me know. Cheers.
these were my first ever diy protein bar attempt and they turned out AMAZING!!! Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear that Liz! thank you for letting me know, lovely to see your note.
I love the idea of a breakfast bar packed with nutrients! Great for busy mornings.
Thanks for dropping by Mother Earth and weighing in on the real deal. It’s true that most commercial rolled oats
are gently steamed. On the other hand,the process of converting nuts and seeds into meal, flour and/or butter also involves heating so at a certain point, I find these distinctions spurious. Unless you’re pulling it up from the ground or off a tree, all food is processed/changed to some degree. Cheers.
These bars are super easy to make… really small (invisible?) margin of error which is a good thing for a clumsy baker like me :). That’s precisely how I feel about the morning walks — even on the days when I’m really not in the mood, once I’m out the door, I’m already feeling grateful for the day ;o).
Yeah, we find it kind of remarkable that he makes the journey too. He has always been such a social guy; he cracks us up :). Have a great weekend Amy!
FYI: No bake is not the same as raw. This is not a raw recipe, but a delicious no-bake vegan one.
And, I have to agree: the BEST start to the day is a walk with the four-legged fur kid (even in a raging blizzard). ツ
I love them too! They’ve got this great chewy texture that makes them taste naughty even though they’re not ;o)
Eva, have I told you lately how much I adore your honesty? You’re awesome.
I was wondering where you were off to with that first paragraph — sleet and snow in Ottawa in May? Not far off, we had snow last Sunday, hail in Toronto and a real snow storm in the Muskokas. What is Monkey brain?
My hubby’s family had a cat when he was growing up that would go on long walks with them ‘au natural’ as you put it. Right now, I’m rather annoyed at the cats in our neighbourhood (or the owners is more like it) because they sleep in our back yard on our furniture so I have to brush off the cushions from cat hair before I can even think of sitting out. And they aggravate the squirrels and birds who like to come around to our feeder. Not to mention their stinky poop. I’m not much of a cat person, sorry. I prefer dogs and bunnies because they are better behaved.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com
Kelly, you are the queen of healthy sweet energy bars! These look irresistible and so easy to prepare! (Although I’m sure that in my case they wouldn’t look half as good as yours).
You are so right about the dog walking! I haven’t had a dog for many years now but I remember that as much as I hated walking it when the weather was bad or when I was in a “stay at home” mood, once I came back, I felt so much better. Morning walks, as you say, were particularly pleasant.
You have reminded me that I liked tulips a lot, much more than expensive roses (though only when they grow; I hate cut flowers). It’s such a lovely spring post!
hahaha, i can’t believe your cat walks to the park with you!!! Omg, I wish my cat could do that. If she was even allowed outside she’d run away the first chance she had. But she’s declawed so i’m paranoid about her getting outside.
So on to these bars. That picture of the almond butter cascading into the bowl….holy cow. I want some of these now!
I love them both! I don’t see it as a one over the other — kind of like apples and oranges, they deliver completely different things but I’m not sure I could live without either :o).
Ah, but that’s my point, they really are amazingly smart! Cheers Debra :)
Hi Sandra, Black is a pretty cool dude, isn’t he? He really does make me wonder in a good way.
I think you should absolutely experiment with dehydrating blueberries! Can’t wait to hear how it works out.
Thanks for stopping by Elly! :O)
Hi Kristy, thank you for your kind words — nothing would make my husband happier than seeing my bars in a health food store :)
I wish I could take credit for ‘monkey mind’ but yes, it pretty much sums up our common state of mind, doesn’t it? ;o).
Hello France! The bars are really handy for busy days… I hope this one serves you well!
I’m with you KoKo, I love the bright flecks of green that the pistachios deliver – so vibrant and full of life. I remember making a few trips to the town of Washington when I summered in Vancouver… fun proximity!
I totally agree that cats are utterly cool creatures! And SO smart! We’ve had several cats over the years and at this point, it would be quite hard for me to switch over to a dog. You know that I could probably just live on all of your wonderful energy bars and this one is not exception! It looks so crunchy and chewy and utterly delicious!
I know I’m late with this, but I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!
I think that is so amazing that Monsieur Black will join you on your walks…that is so neat how he will follow you unprompted! He probably doesn’t want to miss out on the action.
Your bars sound wonderful….I have to look around for some dried blueberries because they sound like they would be perfect. Actually I wonder if I could make my own??? Well you’ve given me something new to try now!!! :)
These look SO GOOD Kelly.
How cool is that! Your cat walks to the park, hangs out and walks home. Ours don’t get to venture outside. I’m sure they would bolt and be lost for good. That said, they are clever so you never know. And I love the term “monkey mind.” I’m going to use that from now on. It’s the perfect way to describe my mental state at times. :) Your bars look fantastic. You know we love our blueberries. I do think you have become the queen of granola bars. I can see the varieties lined up on the shelves of health food stores now with the label “Inspired Edibles.” :)
I can’t wait to make these. They sound delicious. I was just thinking how I needed snack bars for my crazy busy days like the ones I’m having now! I love my morning walk with my dog. It IS the best was to start the day. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Ohhhhh these look so good! The pistachios are like hidden gems in them! These would be so good made with a flavoured honey from my local market…ahhhh I want them now!
Your cat is so pretty and that is so funny that he follows you all the way to the park. I love that!!
Beautiful tulips, too! If I drive across the border for a couple hours, we hit a town called La Connor and it’s just field after field of tulips in the Spring…it’s such a neat sight!!
What gorgeous images Sally… thanks for the link!
Me too!! Thanks Angie ;O)
By all means Kim, thank you!
I would love to be able to share this on my Pinterest board!!
I would lick the bowl clean! O my…ain’t these gorgeous!
Haha! My husband says the same thing about my bar creations — he thinks I should start selling them (I think it’s sometimes challenging for the hubbies to see their wives work so hard at something without receiving direct monetary compensation – lol – he’s always working the business angle!). Aren’t the tulips something? The royal family has kept up the tradition annually – sending more each year; I just think it’s such a beautiful story too. Have a beautiful day Sally – xo.
Hi Lynn! I usually get my ingredients at Kardish on Bank Street (Glebe) – I find the store generally well stocked and clean. There are several Kardish locations throughout Ottawa. You can also try the Natural Food Pantry and Bulk Barn. But truly any seed would work here. Have a great day!
To compensate, can I offer you a link you might enjoy?
http://www.lovethesepics.com/2013/05/tiptoe-through-the-tulips-35-pics/?utm_source=feedly
Sally, thank you for sharing this journey through the tulips. I just loved it, and it brought joy to my soul!
sorry for poor English. I stand by the caffeine thing. Could not go back and edit. (sigh)
Another great take on breakfast bars, you are the bar queen! Well, that did not sound that lovely, does it? Forgive me, it’s early and caffeine is still kicking in
Did not know about the tulips, very beautiful… almost as beautiful and elegant as your cat ;0)
I really love all your recipes. I want to give this one a try as well but I’m having trouble finding pepitas. I live in a small village outside of Ottawa but I’m in the city frequently. Could you tell me where you purchase yours? When all else fails, I substitute sunflower seeds.
Haha, thank you Emilie! Mr. Black (oops, sorry, he prefers ‘Monsieur’) cracks us up. I chuckled reading about the gifts your cat presents you with… I had a cat like that when I was young… I think Black recognizes I don’t have the stomach for it and gives that part of our relationship a miss ;O). Thank you for all your kind words — you can absolutely add coconut and sub anything you like here! They are super yummy…
Beautiful, beautiful recipe. This has ‘me’ written all over it! I love the flavor of blueberry in these kinds of bars (especially with coconut!) and flaxseed is one of my personal favorites. Wonderful ingredients Kelly! I bet these go really fast in your house ;) And yes, cats are utterly cool creatures- yours is quite the handsome devil! xx
Well thank you Radha for making my day! Truly kind of you to take the time to drop in and share your thoughts. I’m delighted to hear that my work here is serving you well – big smiles ;O) :O) :O)
Really love all your recipes as they are so full of healthy ingredients and everything I try out from here is always a sucess! thanks for sharing such delighful healthy bites and love your write ups too.