What is better food, better health?

Am I a paleo blogger? No. Do I believe health starts with nutrition? Absolutely. If you're looking for a manifesto on clean eating and arguments in favor of a paleo lifestyle, you won't find it here. Check out The Whole9. In fact even if you're not looking for something radical check that site out anyway. It's a great starting point. It's got links and articles and a whole bunch of science - data - about nutrition and how our bodies use macronutrients. I'm not a licensed expert but I listen to experts who back up their claims with real compelling data. And I've tried a few different things to "eat healthier" over the years - Weight Watchers, Zone, starvation (that was a brilliant one) to name a few. Nothing has been better for me and yielded better results than eating low glycemic with a paleo foundation (it's actually similar to Zone too, but with less precision). I have a busy schedule, a two year old, a husband, a full time job, I work out and I have a closet for a kitchen. I figure there must be a few people out there who can relate to some of that. I used to think eating healthy and making time for regular meaningful exercise was "hard." It really just takes some guidance, awareness, and enthusiasm. So here's a start - here's what I cook and eat (and sometimes what I read).

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Oat Breakfast Bars

Ingredients:
2 C uncooked instant oatmeal
1 C homemade Almond Meal
1 C dried fruit of choice (ex: raisins, chopped medjool dates, chopped prunes, etc)
1/4 C coconut sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C total seeds and/or chopped/sliced nuts of choice
1/4 C raw honey
1/4 C peanut butter
1/2 C water
1 egg white


Supplies:
Medium bowl
Wooden spoon or sturdy spatula
9x13 baking pan

Yield: 8-12 bars

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease pan or line with parchment paper. Combine all dry ingredients (including fruit) and mix well. Combine honey and peanut butter in one microwave safe measuring cup. Microwave in 10-20 second increments till peanut butter stirs easily. Add water to the same cup, stir, then add to dry mixture, stirring well.  Add egg white and stir until well combined. Mixture should form a sticky ball, well held together but not too wet (think Rice Krispies treats). Spread evenly in pan pressing down. 



Bake about 15 minutes or until center is firm. Remove from oven, cut into bars, but do not remove from pan until fully cooled.

The oatmeal makes this non-Paleo, but certainly cleaner than store bought granola or breakfast bars.

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