“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” How many times have we heard that? And has anyone else noticed that what passes for “breakfast food” is the nutritional equivalent of candy? How did we get bamboozled into starting our day with snacks and dessert?
The modern American breakfast of bacon or sausage, eggs, toast, and hash browns is basically a variant of the full English breakfast—a creation of the British upper classes in the 1800s, which spread as lower strata of society became prosperous enough to afford it. The English are indeed a creation of the rich - but they at least have the benefit of being nutritionally complete with breakfast meals mostly made of real food. Skip the toast, cook your eggs and hash browns in butter or coconut oil, and you won’t be hungry again for a long time, maybe even dinner. Same with a 3-egg omelet and other American diner fare, like steak and eggs.
But that’s not what people eat anymore. Few of us have time to fix such elaborate fare in the morning—and if we did, we simply aren’t hungry enough to eat it so soon after awakening. Well, what do we eat now, for breakfast?
Dessert and snacks.
Let's think about it for a minute. Buttery pancakes with syrup, donuts, cinnamon rolls, danishes = desserts. Bagels, toast, muffins = giant balls of carbs. Cold cereal = crunchy sugar. Orange juice, all fruit juices = soda with vitamin C? But, wait. Where's the complete protein? How about essential animal fats? The nutrients that give us the energy we need to jump-start the day? The nutrients we absolutely require to grow, repair, and maintain our body and brain?
After reading that, you may believe that eating the modern breakfast at all may be evolutionarily discordant. But, it's possible to have a healthy and complete breakfast, even while rushing out the door! In today's on-the-run society, where sitting down for a meal is sometimes an impossible luxury, the emergence of nutrition bars seem to be just what the doctor has ordered. Behold, No-Bake Organic Breakfast Bar!
I don't like to call this a breakfast "snack." How about a power bar? That sounds more like a long lasting treat that we can trust to add some goodness to our day. This power bar is a mix of rolled oats, brown rice crisps, chia seeds, flaxseeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds with brown rice syrup and peanut butter. Though this description already sounds like hitting second base to me, guess what makes this better? Every ingredient is organic and vegan. To make it even exceptional? No bake! Advancing to third from second! At the end, I had to give this recipe an extra twist by adding a handful (or two...) of some chopped dark chocolate for a kick of sweetness! I mean, people do say that dark chocolate is a powerful source of antioxidants. Home run!
I don't think I would be the only one saying that this is a great substitute to our regular breakfast "snacks." Who knew breakfast would be this easy AND wholesome? But, I shall warn you now: These simple, yet hearty organic bars will not only rule your breakfast, but may also dominate other meals of the day. Trust me, you may have to constantly make sure to have about a few dozen of these at hand to last you through the week! At this rate, you'll most definitely wish breakfast was every meal of the day.
No-Bake Organic Breakfast Bar of Champions
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Description
Yields 12 bars (all ingredients are organic and gluten-free, but doesn't necessarily have to be)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1 ¼ cups brown rice crisp cereal
- ¼ cup hemp seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fine-grain sea salt
- ½ cup + 1 tbsp brown rice syrup
- ¼ cup roasted peanut butter or almond butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup mini non-dairy chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square cake pan with two pieces of parchment paper (one going each way).
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, rice crisp cereal, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, sesame seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Mix and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, stir together the brown rice syrup and peanut butter until well combined. Cook over medium to high heat until the mixture softens and bubbles slightly, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Pour the peanut butter mixture over the oat mixture, using a rubber scraper to scrape every last bit out of the pan. Stir well with a large metal spoon until all of the oats and cereal are coated in the wet mixture. The mixture will be very thick and difficult to stir, but don't give up! If adding in the chocolate chips, allow the mixture to cool slightly before folding in the chips. This will prevent melting.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, spreading it out into an even layer. Lightly wet your hands and press down on the mixture to even it out. Use a pastry roller to compact the mixture firmly and evenly. This helps the bars hold together better. Press down on the edges with your fingers to even out the mixture.
- Place the pan in the freezer, uncovered, and chill for 10 minutes or until firm.
- Lift the oat square out of the pan, using the parchment paper as handles, and place it on a cutting board. With a pizza roller (or serrated knife), slice the square into 6 rows and then slice them in half to make 12 bars in total.
- Wrap the bars individually in plastic wrap or foil and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freezer for 1 month.
Lauren Smith
Hello! I’ve included this recipe in my list of oat-tastic recipes to check out in my Saturday round-up. Don’t worry: it’s simply a link that takes my readers to your fantastic blog. :) Check it out! http://wp.me/p57tL9-1fn
Have a great weekend!
Lauren / The Oatmeal Artist
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
These look lovely, Anna! I love how much goodness you packed them with <3
The Baking Spoon
Thank you Audrey!! A little, yet hearty bar indeed ;-)