Crazy Healthy Oats Treats
15-20 min
7-10 min
21 per
100g Coconut oil (melted)
150g Gluten free oats
50g Desiccated coconut
100g Medjool dates, stones removed
100g dried apricots
60g Cacao nibs
20g Chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch Himalayan pink salt (optional)
The eternal quest for a guilt-free snack, not just for your child’s lunchbox, but for you too. Sound familiar? Super. Read on.
So, my son’s school has a great healthy eating policy which is a way to reduce their little bodies consuming horrible processed and sugar-laden foods. This is all good on Monday to Thursday where fruit or a chopped carrot fits the bill perfectly for that desired sweetness. But come Friday, which is the one day they are allowed to bring in a treat, we can get a little caught out. Your usual 5-4-3-2-1-type of bar is a no-no, but what can they actually have that is a real treat? I have a few ideas, and they involve me being entirely selfish, so that I get a little treat-time too. Win-win.
This recipe is gluten, wheat, dairy and refined sugar free. It’s suitable for vegetarians and vegans too. It’s also getting a nice balance of low-GL carbs, with lots of fibre and excellent sources of healthy fats. The cacao nibs feel like you’re being treated to chocolate chips but you’re actually getting a very effective antioxidant. This treat is also bursting with micronutrients galore. And the little ones adore them because they think it’s a treat. And it is. But a good for you treat. What’s not to love?!
What you’ll need:
Food processor
Large and small bowl
Hot water
Baking tray (I used a small rectangular tray, 18 x 24cm)
Plate
- Pre-heat your oven to 170 C. Place your oats and desiccated coconut on a baking tray. Pop in the oven for 7-10 minutes, until the coconut has taken on a golden colour. Leave aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so you want to melt it. Do this by placing it in a bowl, and then placing the bowl in a larger bowl that has some hot water in it. Leave to stand and it will be liquid in no time.
- Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it resembles flapjack mixture.
- Pour the mixture out onto a lightly greased (using coconut oil) baking tray. I make 15 squares with this and with the leftover mixture I rolled into six balls and then toss these in some desiccated coconut. You could make the whole mixture as balls or squares depending on which takes your fancy. I place the balls on a plate and leave covered in the fridge.
- Place them in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.I store them in the fridge so that they hold their shape when they go into the school lunchbox for a few hours before being scoffed. They should be fine in an airtight container in a cool cupboard too.
To feel super healthy I enjoy one (or two) with a cup of vanilla chai tea.
xx