Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Healthy Recipe

Four years ago today, by a dazzling combination of good fortune, mutual sacrifice, and temporary insanity (on his part), I duped a cute guy into marrying me. Thus far, our lives together have involved a healthy dose of all three, though I’ll take responsibility for more than 50% of the insanity. We’re celebrating our anniversary with two special guests: a pan of Strawberry Oatmeal Bars and…my mother.Yes, my husband will be spending his wedding anniversary with his mother-in-law. At my request, my mom is coming to help me decorate our still-bare walls. Where as I feel overwhelmed and slightly panicky walking through a HomeGoods, my mom has a natural talent for picking out just the right touches to make a room feel comfortable and charming. The dates that aligned with her work schedule happen to fall on our anniversary, so my mom and I will spend the day putting a few more nail holes in the walls, progress to a three-person anniversary dinner with Ben, then end with Strawberry Oatmeal Bars for dessert.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars Healthy Recipe

Ingredients:
FOR THE STRAWBERRY BARS:

• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (gluten free if needed)
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or substitute all purpose flour or 1:1 baking flour to make gluten free)
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (or substitute melted coconut oil to make vegan/dairy-free)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1/2 small lemon)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
• 2 cups, small-diced strawberries (10 ounces)

FOR THE VANILLA GLAZE (OPTIONAL BUT DELICIOUS, ESPECIALLY IF YOU PREFER A SWEETER BAR):

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk (any kind you like)

Directions:

1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and heat to 375 degrees F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with parchment paper so that the paper overhangs two sides like "handles."
2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, 3/4 cup flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
3. Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the top, then sprinkle on the lemon juice, and 1/2 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Scatter on the remaining berries, then the remaining 1/2 tablespoon sugar. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. You will have some fruit showing through.
4. Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crumb topping smells toasty and looks golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely (you can speed this process along in the refrigerator).
5. While the bars cool, prepare the glaze: in a medium bowl, briskly whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired. Using the parchment paper handles, lift the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and serve.

Notes: Recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch baking pan. The bars will be a bit thicker, but still delicious. To make gluten free, substitute the white whole wheat flour with a 1:1 baking mix like this one. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.


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DARK CHOCOLATE AVOCADO FROSTING HEALTHY RECIPE

I have a confession. I failed as a parent for my daughter’s fifteenth birthday. All she really wanted was a cupcake with thick gooey frosting. Sounds easy, right? Well, it’s a little tricky because she’sallergic to wheat and dairy.
Had I been prepared I could have pulled it off. But I was busy. I asked my husband to get store-bought gluten-free cupcakes. I was imagining the cupcakes we’d gotten in the past – the ones with the big piles of frosting. But that was before we knew she couldn’t have dairy. Those cupcakes were no longer an option.
My poor husband did the best he could. He wasn’t aware of the frosting requirement. He picked up gluten-free cupcakes without frosting (a.k.a glorified muffins). I didn’t notice until I pulled them from freezer five minutes before we were going to sing happy birthday. Ugh!
I didn’t think I had the ingredients on hand to quickly make a non-dairy frosting. We went with the naked cupcakes. My daughter wasn’t thrilled…
As my husband’s birthday approached I began a quest for an easy and delicious non-dairy frosting recipe. That’s when I discovered the wonders of dark chocolate avocado frosting.

DARK CHOCOLATE AVOCADO FROSTING HEALTHY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 2 med/large ripe avocados (2 ½ small avocados), peeled and pitted
• ½ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil (melted coconut oil will give you a silkier texture, but un-melted works okay too)
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add avocado to a food processor fitted with an S blade and blend until smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. You may need to stop and scrape the sides with a spatula a couple of times. (Add the maple syrup on top of the cocoa powder to keep the dust down.)
3. Use immediately or store in fridge until ready to use. Frosting should be okay in the fridge for a couple of days.

NOTES
Recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting.

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LIGHTER MINI CHEESECAKES WITH OREO CRUST HEALTHY RECIPE

Do you know what today is? It’s National Oreo Day!! I must admit that I’m not a huge Oreo eater. Actually, dare I say, I’m not a huge cookie lover?? It’s just not my thang. I tend to like brownies, cake or cheesecake better. In fact, if you searched YHE, you wouldn’t find one recipe with Oreos on here that I made.
Today that all changes! Since I’m part of a fun group of bloggers that celebrates some of the most favorite national food holidays, I was a bit forced out of my comfort zone to come up with a recipe that showcases the cookie.
I bought my first package and was all set to do some recipe testing. But when I pulled the package from my pantry, I noticed it was really light. Um, it had three cookies left inside! My boys (husband?!) had eaten almost the entire package without me knowing in a day!!

LIGHTER MINI CHEESECAKES WITH OREO CRUST HEALTHY RECIPE

Ingredients

• 12 Oreo cookies
• 2 (8-oz) packages light cream cheese, softened
• 1 (5.3-oz) container plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup Truvia Baking Blend or ½ cup sugar
• ½ tsp .vanilla
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line each muffin tin with a cupcake liner. Place one Oreo cookie in the bottom of each cupcake liner.
2. In a mixing bowl with beaters, blend together cream cheese, Greek yogurt and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add in vanilla and mix.
3. Add in eggs, one at a time until blended.
4. Using cookie scooper or spoon, scoop cream cheese mixture into the muffin tin, over the Oreo in the bottom.
5. Place in oven and bake for 20 minutes. Pull out of oven and place muffin tin on a cookie rack to cool.
6. When cool, lightly take out of muffin tin and peel away the liner. Enjoy!

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PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BITES HEALTHY RECIPE

These energy bites are no bake, super easy to make and take less than 10 minutes to put together. Loaded with protein, fiber and healthy fats to keep you full and loaded with energy throughout the day. Made with only 5 ingredients: peanut butter, old fashioned oats, flax seed, honey and chocolate chips. Everything gets combined in one bowl. Best of all you never have to turn on the oven.
These Peanut Butter Bites pack a lot of nutrition. Here’s the breakdown:

• Flax seed: Just 1 tablespoon of flax seed provides roughly 8 grams of fiber. Flax seed is also loaded with healthy fats, fiber and nutrients.
• Peanut Butter: Filled with healthy fats and fiber. One serving of peanut butter contains 7 grams of protein! Perfect for a quick energy boost and to keep you full throughout the day.
• Old Fashioned Oats: Rich in fiber, protein and nutrients. Old fashioned oats are a great way to sneak in extra nutrients. They are also known to reduce cholesterol.

PEANUT BUTTER ENERGY BITES HEALTHY RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• ½ cup ground flax seeds
• 2 tablespoons honey

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes so they are easier to roll.
2. Roll into 12 bites and store in the fridge for up to a week.

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