Happy Lil' Carb Loader bars

Nummy

Mmmm.. oats craving. Still. So I made up these baked oat bars. I've messed with getting them right on and off for maybe a year.. And I found the secret! I think. It's grinding half the oats to a flour. Got the idea from the blueberry oats recipe!

Happy Lil' Carb Loader Bars

3 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1/2 cup melted Coconut oil

1/8 cup Honey

1/2 cup Apple juice

3-4 Dates

1/4 cup Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 cup Cranberries dried

1/8 cup Almonds

1/8 cup Raisins

2 tbs Ground flaxseed

1/8 cup chocolate chips (optional)

and a pinch of salt

Put da Lime in Da Coconut...

You can play around with the sugar for personal taste, i.e. yacon syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar, stevia, brown sugar, maple syrup etc. or just add more honey. I use fresh apple juice from a juicer, but I'm guessing but bottled will work. Or you could try apple sauce/pulp. You can also sub in almond butter/ peanut butter for the fruit and nuts. It's easy to play with. The only thing I've found is no matter what I sub in for the oil, it never works. So, *sigh* stuck with the oil.  But, if I have to have some fat, coconut oil is at the top of the list (personally). Besides, it's not much for 3 cups of oats!

How to:

Combine apple juice and flax, set aside. Take 1 1/2 cups of the oats, process until still coarse, but almost fine, not quite flour. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except oats, honey and oil. Pulse until uniform in size. In small pan, heat coconut oil and honey to melt into pouring consistency. In large mixing bowl, combine all 3 cups of oats, nut/fruit mixture and flax/juice mixture, stir. Then pour oil over the top and stir well. You should be able to press it together with your hands and it sticks like dry cookie dough. Press into lightly greased baking sheet (with rim). Press well. I used an 11 inch long pan and it doesn't quite fill it. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes until golden. It takes about 12 for me. Score lightly with pizza cutter once removed from the oven. Once cooled completely, cut the rest of the way through. Store airtight. Yummy!

Anti-Aging Dessert and Run of the Muck

My runs the last few days have been hard. My legs have been tired. Yesterday I was feeling myself however and had an awesome run! Most of the snow is gone. There is still a lot of ice; enough that I have to wear yak traks.  

Something I love is Pumpkin! It has anti-aging properties, beta carotene, alpha carotene, Vitamins C and E, Fiber and is a great source of potassium (a must have for muscle recovery!) among others. Oh, and it's fabulously delicious! Dogs love it too.

Get in Shape Pumpkin Parfait

Now, you can use greek yogurt, or whatever you wish. I personally like coconut yogurt the best, however 'real' coco yogurt can be a challenge to find (you can make it!!).
1/4 cup your choice yogurt
1/4-1/2 cup chilled canned or cooked (drained of most liquid) Pumpkin
pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg
1 tsp Pure Maple Syrup (you can use stevia, agave, sucanat etc but maple tastes best)
1/2-1tsp chopped walnuts, pecans or granola

That's it! layer from top of list to bottom and enjoy!