Peanut Butter and Banana Oatmeal Sqaures

 Trying to eat healthy is easier to do for dinner and lunch than it is for breakfast.  Cutting carbs can be so annoying and such a task when all you can think of for breakfast is boxed cereal, or my family's favorite, waffles and pancakes.  Eggs can only be cooked so many ways and eaten so many times in a week.  At least for me that is.  Now granted, these do have carbs, but to me, they are healthier than pancakes or waffles drizzled in syrup and butter and better for you than boxed cereal that has who knows what in it and where it came from.  So, these were a good breakfast for us this week and every single one of us liked them! 

Found on: Gingerbread Bagels




Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I used 1/8C brown sugar and 1/8C agave nectar; more gooey than the regular recipe probably is, but still turned out fine)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large mashed banana
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
Mix together the quick cooking oats, light brown sugar, baking powder, kosher salt and ground cinnamon.
Add in the vanilla extract, milk and egg. Mix the ingredients together.
Then add in the mashed banana and peanut butter. Combine all of the ingredients.
Pour the mixture into a lightly greased 8 by 8 inch metal baking pan. Bake at 350 F degrees for 20 minutes.
Cut into squares and enjoy!

Just to clarify If you found my recipe on Pinterest with the suggestion about using applesauce in place of the brown sugar…Do not use applesauce in place of the brown sugar.
Applesauce is not used as a sugar substitute in baking, it’s a fat substitute.
It’s also a liquid and will mess up the texture of the squares because of the added liquid.
So please use brown sugar, it’s only 1/4 cup for an entire pan. Not that much.

And because I keep getting this question: do not use honey. Honey is a liquid…brown sugar isn’t. The added liquid will mess up the texture of the squares. Honey also causes whatever you’re baking to brown more quickly and you would have to change the temperature and baking time. It also has acid and would need to be neutralized with baking soda.