Since Oscar came to live with us this summer, Mr. B and I have been getting up much earlier in the day. Throughout the summer we walked Oscar for an hour each morning, and even continued once the days shortened and it was dark at that early hour. Yet when the temperatures before dawn started to dip below 35 degrees, we decided that Oscar could learn how to fetch and thus exercise himself! However we didn’t want to lose the benefit of our morning exercise – Oscar gained 20 pounds and we each lost 10! So we’ve been dragging our bums out of bed and exercising inside instead.

What this all leads to, is very little time for a hot breakfast during the weekdays. We’d rather have that extra sleep and exercise time, so we’ve been munching on Kashi’s Tasty Little Chewies instead. These are pretty satisifying granola style bars, but the cost of two each every morning adds up quickly. So I’ve been playing around with various muffins/bars that I could make on the weekends when I have more time and that we can grab and go during the week.

My first attempt at a healthy breakfast bar, modified this recipe from Healthy Appetite With Ellie Krieger on Food Network and swapped out the dried cherries for dried blueberries. I discovered these dried blueberries when I happened in a Costco many many miles away. They were giving out free samples as usual. I popped the dried blueberries in my mouth while walking away from the aisle and then once the flavor hit me, I grabbed my cart and did a 180. These dried blueberries are sweet, chewy, and very delicious! I also incorporated a natural blueberry jam from Trader Joe’s on the top of the bars to amp up the flavor. (Yes I’ve been hoarding this jar since my last long distance trip to Trader Joe’s in April!) The resulting bars were a bit dense for my preference, so I’ll have to continue fiddling with bar recipes, but overall they were healthy, filling, and quite tasty.

Blueberry Breakfast Bars
Modified from Ellie Krieger’s Healthy Appetite, Food Network

Ingredients
1 cup quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese Cassia Cinnamon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten to mix
1 egg white
3/4 cup chopped dried blueberries
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
Cooking spray
1/4 cup “fruit only” blueberry preserves

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, ground flax meal, cinnamon and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the honey, applesauce, oil, egg and egg white until well combined. Stir in the oatmeal mixture until well combined. Add the dried blueberries and walnuts.

Coat an 8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Put the blueberry preserves in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the bars come out of the oven, brush the warm preserves on top of the bars. Cool completely and cut into 12 bars, about 4 by1 1/2 inches each.