Monday may not be my favorite day of the week, but one thing I love about Monday is the fresh start it brings, especially when it comes to eating and making good decisions. I don’t know about you, but the weekends always seem a little more challenging to eat clean. Between dinner parties and social outings, splurging here and there seems not only inevitable, but welcomed. However, come Monday, I always look forward to getting back to eating real foods that fuel and nourish my body. If you can relate, then these Blueberry Quinoa Oatmeal Breakfast Bars are just the thing to help bring your eating back into check. They are chock-full of whole oats, quinoa, Medjool dates, fresh blueberries and pecans, creating a lovely breakfast bar, that is soft and moist with a slightly chewy texture.
The inspiration behind these Blueberry Quinoa Breakfast bars came from Vital Proteins. They contacted me a while back to see if I was familiar with their collagen products and if I’d be interested in trying out a few things. Curious and fairly uneducated with collagen and the potential benefits of it, I did some research and learned that over the past century with modern food processing, we have stripped this natural and healthy protein from our diets. Collagen is vital for our body and is the basic building block for creating healthy skin, hair, nails, bones and joints, and it seems most of us are likely not getting enough of it through our daily foods.
After reading a little more about collagen and their products specifically, I eagerly took Vital Proteins up on their offer to send me a few options to try. Being that many of my recipes are vegetarian, and a decent number of my followers are either Vegetarian or Pescetarian, I requested their Marine Collagen and Collagen Beauty Greens products. You can check out all of their products here, and while I’m not opposed to using any of the Grass Fed Beef products myself, I wanted to try products that I felt would be options my readers are most interested in.
For this post we’ll focus on the Marine Collagen. Of the two, this one has surprisingly become my favorite. It is completely odorless and tasteless, making it extremely easy to add to just about anything. I’ve added it to my morning Greek yogurt with banana, oats, bran flakes, and flaxseed for about the last month and truly cannot detect even a trace of it. See below for a quick overview:
Vital Proteins Marine Collagen:
- Marine Collagen, Wild-Caught, Non-GMO Project Verified
- From fresh wild-caught snapper
- Non-GMO Project Verified
- Promotes youthful skin, healthier hair, and stronger nails
- Supports joint health
- Natural glycine promotes healthy immune, digestive, and central nervous systems
- 24 servings per container
- 44 calories per serving, 11 grams protein
As a new mom, and one who recently turned thirty {eek!}, I admit that a few months ago I found myself studying my skin a little more than usual and realizing that there were all sorts of fine lines setting in around my eyes. Who knows how long they’ve been there, but I couldn’t help by wonder if this is a result of suddenly turning 30, having a baby and experiencing my fair share of sleepless nights in the past year, or perhaps from smiling so much as that sweet baby boy. Regardless, the lines were clearly there and I made a strong mental note to see if I could do something about it! About the same time I received Vital Proteins products in the mail, I also picked up two hydrating and firming skin masks, along with a renewing cream. In hindsight maybe I should have tried one product at a time to see what was the most effective, but I truly feel like my skin looks better than it has in years, and honestly I can’t help but think the collagen has aided in that result. All I know is I have every intention of continuing the regimen I’ve started, both with the collagen and the facial products!
In an effort to not make this post any longer than I already have, I’m breaking things up into two parts. I’ve got another recipe to share with you next week, featuring the Collagen Beauty Greens {Spoiler alert: Spinach Pesto Pizza!} and I’ll dive a little deeper into the benefits Vital Proteins collagen products can offer in supporting your joint and bone health. AND… thanks to Vital Proteins, we’ve also got a great GIVEAWAY, so be sure to check back next week! In the mean time, check out their site and do some reading for yourself…AND make these Blueberry Quinoa Oatmeal Breakfast Bars!
Blueberry Quinoa Oatmeal Breakfast Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup oat flour {made from certified gluten-free oats if necessary}
- 3/4 cup whole oats {certified gluten-free if necessary}
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 scoops Vital Protein Marine Collagen {approx 1/3 cup}
- 7 Medjool dates pitted {approx 1/2 cup loosely packed}
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13”x 9" pan with coconut oil cooking spray or other nonstick spray.
- Add 3/4 cup whole oats to NutriBullet or food processor and process until they reach a fine flour consistency.
- Add whole oats, oat flour, cooked and cooled quinoa, baking powder, cinnamon, and protein powder to large bowl, stir until well blended
- To the bowl of your food processor, add pitted dates, maple syrup, ripe banana and coconut oil, process until smooth consistency, approx 10-20 seconds. Add the vanilla and eggs, then process another 5-10 seconds.
- Add the wet mixture to the large bowl of dry ingredients, then mix until everything is fully incorporated. Fold in blueberry and chopped pecans.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth with a spatula, and bake for 20 minutes or until the bars are golden brown and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool for 10-15 minutes, cut into 20 bars, serve.
- Store in airtight container for 3-5 days or freeze for 1 month.
Nutrition
This post is sponsored by Vital Proteins, however all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who keep Lemons and Basil in action!