The first week of the month is generally busy for me- what with the Recipe Swap post going up the first Sunday of the month and the SRC post going live the first Monday of the month. As a result, the weekend is always spent working on the posts and since I am a big time procrastinator, I end up baking/cooking, editing photos and blogging two posts in one day. I know, I really should plan things better!

Anyway yesterday proved to be doubly busy as I finally made myself a Facebook page for the blog! Yay!

After toying with the idea for months, I finally decided its time to face my fears. When asked by V why I wouldn’t get a Facebook page, I would give him the excuse that I am too scared that no one will like my page and also a big reason for no FB page was that I as it is struggle with my own profile on Facebook- a blog page will be a lot of commitment in terms of updating status and making sure they are good, etc., etc. But I knew I was just being lazy about it. So, I took the plunge and set up a page.

Since I was getting all tech savvy for the blog, I made myself a twitter account too! Woo hoo! I have to admit, I have no clue what to do with it, but I am sure I’ll learn along the way.

Coming to this month’s SRC. This month I was given a visual treat for the eye as my assignment. For the month of June, I was assigned to choose a recipe from Crumb blog, which proved to be a more difficult task than I thought.

Isabelle is a very talented blogger with a blog that is a treat to not only look at, but with some great recipes to try. The first thing that struck me when I checked out her blog link in the email Jane sent out- was her header and this is exactly what I said to myself- that header is just so damn creative! I learnt from her posts that she created the header herself after several sessions of burnt toasts. I knew then I was in the company of someone who truly loves food and anything to do with it.

Isabelle’s talent has shown through and landed her many accolades and awards. I love her style of writing and the humor in her blog posts. Do check her blog out, if you already haven’t! I am sure you will like it and get hooked on like I have!

Going for the theme this month, I narrowed down on Isabelle’s recipe for homemade oatmeal bars.

These bars, as Isabelle describes them, have a texture that falls somewhere in between a muffin, a cookie and a granola bar. Chewy, cakey and oh-so-good, not only in taste but in health as well.  As Isabelle puts it,

aside from all the health benefits of the walnuts, there’s also fiber from the oats and whole wheat flour, calcium from the milk, and more anti-oxidants from the berries, cherries and chocolate. They’re substantial enough to keep you going until lunch without feeling overly heavy.

I did make a few changes to the recipe- well, very few to be exact. I did not have any pumpkin seeds- instead I used sunflower seeds. I replaced the dried cherries with a mix of dried cherries and dried berries (strawberry, blueberry, cranberry). I also added a few cinnamon chips and coconut flakes, just because I had some. (I have highlighted the changes that I made in the recipe in red.)

By the way did anyone see the Miss USA 2012 pageant yesterday. Well I did. And oh my gawd- the contestants were so skinny. I don’t know if it’s the going-green-with-envy-me that’s saying this or a fact, but, they all looked malnourished. If I stand next to them I would definitely look like a cow. A fat cow!

Thankfully, I have these for my breakfast now. A little skinny good for you on-the-go meal!

Makes 10 bars
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon chips
  • 2 tbsp sweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/4 cup mix of dried berries and cherries
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment, leaving a 1″ overhang on either side.
  2. In a bowl, stir together the oats, whole wheat flour, chopped walnuts, chocolate and cinnamon chips,dried berries and cherries, sunflower seeds, brown sugar, ground flax seeds, salt and baking soda.
  3. In another bowl, whisk together milk, egg and vanilla extract until combined.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until well combined. (Isabelle mentions that it will look like a wet, soupy mess, but that’s how it’s supposed to be)
  5. Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish, and smooth out into an even layer. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the bars are set and golden brown. It took me 40 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then lift out using the parchment paper and cut into 10 equally-sized bars.

Storage: Bars can be stored at room temperature in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.

Do check out what the other members have been up to:


Also since you are here,  do check out the Ariosto seasoning Giveaway on the blog.

21 Thoughts on “SRC: Berries & Cherry Walnut Oatmeal Bars

  1. Yum, these look really tasty! I love being able to customize my own fillings in homemade granola bars – these look like an awesome combo!

  2. These look so good! Love cherry.

  3. Totally delicious looking and we love bars like these. Great recipe.

    If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC entry Candied Popcorn.

    Lisa~~
    Cook Lisa Cook

  4. I’m so glad you liked these! I love the idea of using cinnamon chips… sadly, they’re impossible to find up here in Canada, though I plan on stocking up next time I travel to the US. (Bet that’ll mean a fun chat with customs on the way back, huh?)
    Love your photos, BTW! They look so much better than mine. Makes me kind of want to go back and do a re-shoot. 🙂

    • Funny that’s what I thought about your photos!!You so do not need to re-shoot them!! Thank you again for the recipe and yes the cinnamon chips are a happy welcome in these bars!

  5. Ginny on 4 June, 2012 at 11:43 am said:

    Love these! The photos are fantastic. And yes. The bodies of the Miss USA contestants had me standing at the fork-in-the-road-decision of 1) go for a run or 2) eat Nutella. I went for option #2.

  6. Lovely pictures. So beautiful. The bars look super tasty too!

  7. Mmm, delish. Looks like you picked a great recipe for the SRC. Oh well for the planning, it happens to all of us!

  8. These look great – good choice for SRC!

  9. they look delicious! will try! 🙂

  10. These look fantastic. So glad to see you back and on top blogging form!

  11. These sound delicious!

  12. Thanks for your comment. Bookmarking your site..you have no idea how thrilled I get when there is no butter/oil/bad fat in a dessert.. for me these oatmeal bars are like dessert. My husband would love them for breakfast. Thank you!

  13. Social media is great for your blog! Just tweet your posts- and connect with other bloggers too..Ive been shying away myself- but most often, twitter and facebook are great ways to keep yourself updated..Great stuff btw!

  14. welcome to social networking ! the pics are droolworthy !

  15. These bars look amazing!

    I’m hosting a giveaway over at my blog and would love for you to stop by and participate.

    http://www.myhobbielobbie.com/2012/05/my-200th-blog-post-and-my-1st-ever.html

    Looking forward to seeing you there.

  16. This looks delicious and your pictures are amazing. Would love for you to share your photos with us at foodepix.com.

  17. Yummy this looks so good. I need to try it soon.

    Love your blog

    Check out my food blog if you haven’t already 🙂

    http://www.thedailysmash101.blogspot.com

  18. Those bars look great. Will be making them soon. Thanks for sharing!

  19. These look great! I like the photos on the newspaper with the Starbucks drink in the back 🙂 Very original and fitting. I’ve been slowly taking the social media plunges with my blog too. I still feel a bit jumbled with it all, but oh well! Once step at a time…

  20. Pingback: Top 40 Appetizers and Snacks of 2012 | The Secret Recipe Club

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