Berry Oatmeal Breakfast Squares
Ingredients
1 cup rolled or steel cut oats
1 ½ cups flour – try a mixture of brown rice, spelt, kamut, buckwheat, etc. Also can include ¼ cup hemp flour and or ¼ cup protein powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 cup plain yogurt – goat or cow
1 cup milk (rice, almond, or goat)
2 tbsp sweetener – honey, maple syrup, agave syrup, or apple sauce
1 egg
¾ to 1 cup mixed berries – blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
Directions
Preheat oven to 425o F and grease a 10″ square pan. Blend oats, flour, baking soda, yogurt, milk, sweetener, and egg. Stir in berries. Spread into pan and bake 10-15 minutes, or until fully set.
Adapted from Margo McIntosh, RHN, RNCP.
Nutritional Value of Select Ingredients
Oats – A great source of complex carbs, high in protein, and fibre. They help normalize blood sugar levels, and are good for a sluggish thyroid. Oats are high in tryptophan, iron, and phytochemicals.
Whole grain flours – The risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer can be reduced by simple changing from refined to whole grains. They are high in chromium, vitamins, minerals, protein, and fibre that are lost in the process of refining.
Rice or Almond Milk – This is a great substitute for cow’s milk, which is allergenic to many and unfortunately these days may contain many chemicals. They can be used as you would cow’s milk, and are low in saturated fats. Enriched rice and almond milks have lots of required nutrients, including calcium. Worried about not getting enough calcium if you switch? Think about where cows get their calcium from – green, leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sea vegetables are great non-dairy sources.
Honey – This is a natural sweetener that contains vitamins, minerals, and propolis. It is a great source of magnesium. A whole food, honey is an excellent replacement for brown or white cane sugar, which is detrimental to our health. Any sweetener, though, should be eaten in moderation, but when you do need to sweeten, try honey instead.
Eggs– A perfect food (you can make a whole chicken out of them!) eggs contain protein, unsaturated fats, vitamin A, calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, and are quite low in calories.
Blueberries – A king in the nutrition world, these berries contain one of the highest amounts of antioxidants of any fruit or vegetable. A great source of vitamin C and fibre as well, blueberries protect against age-related conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, help improve vision, and normalize the bowels.
