Apple-Sage Oat Bars

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and I love coming up with new recipes to enjoy in the morning. Since I work so early in the morning and am always pressed for time, I usually eat on the go or very quickly. On Saturdays I try to get creative and make an elaborate breakfast dish, but as for all the other days, I need something healthy, filling and, of course, delicous that I can either make the night before, or very quickly in the morning. Perfect example: these apple-sage oat bars I made :)

Literally, this is probably my favorite recipe I've cooked in a while!

Ingredients

• 2 cups instant rolled oats
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs grated lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbs peanut butter
• 2/3 cup honey, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large or 2 small red-skinned apples, grated (with skin on)
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• 2 tsp ground sage
• 1 tsp ground mint

Directions
Yield: 12 bars

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C), & coat a 11 1/2 inch by 8 inch dish with cooking spray or oil
• In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, lemon zest & salt.
• Add peanut butter to above mixture; make sure it's fully combined (you may need to use your fingers to combine)
• Add 1/3 cup honey & vanilla extract to the mixture, stir until mix is fully coated with honey
• In a separate, smaller bowl, combine the grated apple, lemon juice, sage, mint and remaining 1/3rd honey
• Press half of oat mixture in bottom of baking dish, with damp fingers
• Spread apple mix on top of the oat mixture in the dish
• Press remaining oat mixture over the apple layer.
• Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Cool on wire rack, and once cooled, cut into 12 bars.

Mine turned out a little crumbly, so make sure to let the bars cool all the way before cutting them. The apple makes the oat bars very moist (and delicious). I would recommend doubling the oat part of the recipe (the bottom layer and the top layer) because I was starting to run out of oats for the top layer, unless you use a smaller dish.

Here's the nutrition info:

Calories: 170
Protein: 3 g
Fat: 4 g
Saturated fat: <1g
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 140 mg
Fiber: 2 g
Sugar: 17 g