Breakfast: Ultra Yummy Breakfast Granola Bars

Recipe by brujakitty Whole grain, seeds, nuts, and dry fruit...does it get better? Yes! They've got nut butter! This recipe is flexible. You can sub sweeteners (except don't use fake sweeteners); you can use whatever type of nuts or seeds you like. You c

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Sunflower Seeds, Nuts, Agave, Walnuts

Health and fertility benefits of Ultra Yummy Breakfast Granola Bars

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Sunflower seeds are an excellent food for PCOS as they are packed with vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Just one cup of sunflower seeds provides 30% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin B6. Sunflower seeds are also loaded with two other important of PCOS busting minerals: zinc and magnesium. Nuts are a natural source of Inositol, a derivative of Vitamin B (which is often prescribed in the form of supplements for women with PCOS). Inositol can effectively control the symptoms of PCOS by reducing insulin resistance and improving insulin sensitivity. Agave has a low glycemic index (GI) of 17. Walnuts are low on the glycemic index. What’s more, they also lower the glycemic index of other foods that you eat in conjunction with these nuts. Any kind of nuts provide a healthy source of fat and a great way to encourage PCOS weight loss.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon coconut oil, or as needed
4 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with coconut oil.
Stir rolled oats, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and coconut together onto a large baking sheet; spread the oat mixture out on a baking sheet.
Toast in the preheated oven until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes.
Pour the oat mixture into a large bowl and mix in cinnamon.
Stir raisins, turbinado sugar, agave nectar, coconut butter, peanut butter, and sea salt together in a saucepan. Place saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the mixture to a boil, and boil for 1 minute. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in vanilla extract.
Pour the hot mixture over the oat mixture and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened.
Press the mixture into the prepared baking dish until even and densely packed. Refrigerate for 1 hour to set up.
Turn the mixture out of the pan, cut into 16 bars, and wrap bars in waxed paper. If desired, cut bars in half to make 32 snack-size bars.

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