Preparation day this week is full of breakfast bars, and they are gluten free. Blueberry chia bars not only provide the antioxidants and nutrients we need, but they are also full of flavor we can enjoy.
The best part is the cost and nutrient profile beats the commercial brand on the shelf by a long shot! There are 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber in each bar of our homemade, whole grain gluten free bars.
You and I can make 9 bars for roughly $3, whereas the store brand is almost $6.
Benefits of Blueberry Chia Bars
Knowing this breakfast bar has double the nutrients of store brands, no synthetic vitamins, added flavorings, colorings, or highly processed seed oils, will be worth the effort to find quality ingredients and make these bars.
The millet and oat combo alone, give this recipe around 170mg of magnesium per 100 grams of flour. It is also rich in potassium, zinc, selenium, and B vitamins. Lutein and zeaxanthin are present, too! The antioxidants in the blueberries namely the flavonoids, anthocyanins, and quercetin help with oxidative stress.
As we know, reducing oxidative stress helps blood vessels relax and lowers blood pressure. Antioxidants also clean up DNA damage and help reduce our risk for cancer and heart disease. (1)
Devotion
What God puts in the garden is good! He knew our need for His salvation plan and His divine design of our food long before He created mankind. I never get tired of reading about how His hand is upon the prophets of old as they shared his promises.
Even more effective is knowing His hand is upon everything we do when we follow His lead today. It is a huge relief because it takes away the worry and the fear that come with striving. The prophet, Ezra, learned this during his years of captivity in Baylon.
And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylonia, and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, for the good hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. (Ezra 7:9-10)
Ezra 7 ESV – Ezra Sent to Teach the People – Now – Bible Gateway
Blueberry Chia Bars
Blueberry Chia Bars
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Millet finely ground
- 1/2 Cup Almond Flour
- 1/2 Cup Oats
- 1/4 Cup Chia Seeds
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds chopped
- 2 tbsp walnuts
- 2 Tbsp Arrowroot flour
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp vinegar
- 2 Tbsp Maple syrup
Blueberry Filling
- 1 Cup Blueberries Fresh or frozen
- 3 Prunes
- 3 Dates pitted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Place the blueberries, dates, and prunes in a saucepan and turn the heat on low, keep it low, don't add water.
- In a mixing bowl combine the applesauce, oil, egg, vinegar, vanilla, maple syrup, and mix well.
- Add the millet, almond flour, arrowroot flour, xanthan gum and oats. Combine until well mixed and divide the dough into halves.
- Place half of the dough into a 9×9 inch pan and set the rest aside until the blueberry filling is in place.
- In a bullet blender with the flat blade blend the blueberry mixture and spread it evenly over the dough.
- Place the remaining dough over the filling. You can roll this out and place it over the filling or just make little balls and drop them over the filling. They will bake together to form a crust.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Let cool and cut into bars. It makes 9 servings.
Nutrition
I hope you like these blueberry chia bars! I have plenty more gluten free items on the website that can help you if you have a gluten or wheat sensitivity. So, I hope you check them out and let me know how you like them. The page to book a health coach is here! It is my pleasure serving you.
Have a blessed day!
Mysty RN/BSN NBHWC
References:
Cassidy A, Mukamal KJ, Liu L, Franz M, Eliassen AH, Rimm EB. High anthocyanin intake is associated with a reduced risk of myocardial infarction in young and middle-aged women. Circulation. 2013 Jan 15;127(2):188-96. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.122408. PMID: 23319811; PMCID: PMC3762447.
