Before we get to these tasty treats, I want to apologize for the radio silence here on the blog recently (even my dad has noticed. Hi, Dad!) We are both still here…just busy with life! There are still plenty of delicious desserts we plan on sharing with you, but there may be longer gaps between posts. If you stick around though, we promise they will be worth the wait.

Now back to these breakfast bars. Breakfast may be my favorite meal of the day: fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy diner style hash browns, crunchy bacon and a hot cup of coffee. It doesn’t get better than that! Sadly though…my usual breakfast routine is shoveling a bowl full of oatmeal in my mouth as fast as humanly possible. But hey…at least I’ve graduated from eating in my car!

While I guess technically these are pretty much a dessert, they have fruit, oatmeal, and very little added sugar. In my mind, that’s enough to consider them acceptable for breakfast. Flahavan’s Irish Oats are a source of whole grains and we all know how good whole grains are for you. Studies have repeatedly shown that they are able to reduce your risk of stroke, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Sign me up!

Growing up my mom always used to make strawberry rhubarb pie…but it was never my favorite (sorry, Mom!) I think it’s one of those things you have to acquire a taste for? Maybe? Or maybe these days I’m just a less picky eater because now I love the combination. Juicy strawberries fresh from the farmers market and homegrown rhubarb are the epitome of early summer. Plus they’re just so pretty together!

I’ll let you be the judge of whether these bars are a breakfast or dessert. Either way, I’m sure you’re going to love them.

~Steph

Disclosure: I received Flahavan’s Irish Oats to be used for review and recipe development purposes. All opinions are my own.

Strawberry Rhubarb Breakfast Bars (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

• 1 1/2 c Flahavan’s Irish Oats  (or another old fashioned oat)
• 3/4 c whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 c butter, melted
• 1 1/2 c strawberries, sliced
• 1 c rhubarb, chopped in bite size pieces
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp sugar

1. Line a 9×9 inch baking dish with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In small mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Mix until combined.
3. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and combine until a crumbly mixture forms.
4. Reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture for later and pour remaining amount into baking dish. Press it down evenly into bottom of pan to create crust.
5. Spread half of the strawberries and half of the rhubarb over crust.
6. Sprinkle fruit with cornstarch and lemon juice. Add the remaining fruit and 1 tbsp sugar.
7. Top evenly with reserved crumble mixture.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until crust is golden brown.
9. Let cool and cut into squares. Serve bars either room temperature or chilled (I personally liked chilled)

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