Freezer Fridays: Berry Oatmeal Bars

Whelp, it's officially spring break! I am so thrilled to have a week off from work. I love having the extra time with my girls and as always,  am hoping to get some things accomplished around the house. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this week, let's hope it continues!

I made these bars on Sunday, I wanted a new breakfast bar to stash away in the freezer. I've made some before using our favorite homemade jams but this time wanted to incorporate frozen berries I had on hand. Making them even more nutritious.

By incorporating whole wheat flour, oats, berries and little sugar; I can feel good about letting the kids have one for breakfast. Or snack. They certainly have to be better than donuts or some cereals.

Of course, as always, one batch doesn't seem to last very long. Good thing I got them in the freezer quickly. As I am sure I'll be making more over my break!

Berry Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 sticks butter,melted
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen sliced strawberries
1 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine both flours, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add in melted butter and mix until crumbly. Press 2/3 of mixture into a 9x13 inch baking pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, toss the berries with corn starch and sugar. Sprinkle fruit evenly over the crust. Distribute the remaining oat mixture over top of the berries.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before cutting. Depending on the size of your bars, makes 12.

Freezing instructions: After bars are cooled and cut, wrap individually in plastic wrap. Lay each bar on a pan and place into freezer for at least one hour to flash freeze. Then transfer to a container or large freezer bag to place in freezer until ready to eat. Simply remove from freezer and let thaw for a bit before eating.

Berry Fruit Crisp

Last Saturday after we finished up with our garage sale, the girls and I ventured back out to the strawberry farm. Although it was the middle of the afternoon and very warm, I was determined to pick another twenty pounds for jam making and to fill my freezer with. I spent Monday making jam, we got 15 jars stashed in the freezer and that should be plenty. I'm a little sad that I've only managed to get three quart sized bags of sliced berries in the freezer for winter. We've been eating them so much that they disappear quickly.

Since there wasn't much left and I really haven't made anything with them like I originally planned, I thought of this fruit crisp. Crisps are the perfect summer desserts! You can add practically any type of fruit or berry and top with that delicious brown sugar-oat crumble topping and it's absolutely delicious.

Look how browned and crunchy that gets. And served warm with a scoop of ice cream, I really don't think there's anything better.

You know, Fourth of July is exactly one week away. With berries being in abundance this time of year, I think it's only right you add this to your menu. I went with blueberry and strawberry only because that's what I had in the fridge. Of course, blackberry and raspberry would be great additions. It's a perfect crowd pleaser and so easy to whip up. I'll also note, this dessert is best served the day it's made or the day after. After that it starts to get mushy and I love that crunchy topping to stay that way.


Berry Fruit Crisp

Ingredients:
5 cups fruit {I used 2 c blueberries, 3 c halved strawberries}
1/4 cup flour
1 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

crumble topping:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 stick butter, cubed

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8x8-inch baking dish and set aside.

In a large bowl mix together three cups of the fruit with the flour, sugar, salt, lemon juice and vanilla. Stir to combine well. Spread berries into bottom of prepared pan. Top with the remaining two cups of berries.

To make the topping: In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and salt. Stir together using a fork or whisk. Add in cubed butter and stir together using your hands or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Sprinkle topping over berries. Bake for 45 minutes or until berries are bubbly and topping is browned. Remove from oven and let cool before serving. Best served just slightly warmed and with vanilla ice cream on top.

Blueberry-Lemon Quick Bread

Now that the holidays are just about all behind us, I feel like we're starting to get back to a normal routine. As much as I've tried to simplify things lately, my days have been extremely busy. I feel like I've been in survival mode for much of the past two months, relying on very simple dishes at meal times and not having much time to experiment in the kitchen.

It felt good to do some baking last night after dinner. I've got a wonderful supply of frozen berries in my freezer that I preserved during the summer. We love having them on hand for smoothies and just for snacking but I've been anxious to do some baking as well.

This was an excellent way to use up some of those big, plump blueberries. It sort of reminds me of a blueberry muffin. I love the fresh lemon zest throughout the loaf and the bit of crunch the top layer offers. I feel anxious for spring while eating a slice, some of my most favorite flavors are captured right in this bread. Good thing I made up extras, I'll have plenty to share with my family tonight as we ring in the new year.

Blueberry-Lemon Bread

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
zest of 1/2 lemon
6 oz. plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
2 cups blueberries {do not thaw if using frozen}

Directions:
Preheat oven at 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and lemon zest. Mix in yogurt and milk until well combined. Sprinkle in baking powder, salt and flour. Mix just until combined. Fold in blueberries.

Divide batter between mini loaf pans. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar if desired. Bake for 45-50 minutes, bread will be lightly browned and toothpick inserted in middle should come out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in pans before taking out. Makes 3 mini loaves.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry muffins, one of my favorite breakfast foods! I had been on what seemed like a never ending search for the perfect blueberry muffin recipe, one without any sort of crumb topping. Until my friend, Denise shared her recipe with me. It's absolutely perfect and just what I had been searching for.

I tweaked her recipe just a tad and we make these all the time now. I can't believe I haven't shared it yet. I substituted half of the flour with whole wheat just to make them a bit more healthy. I also increased the milk by just a bit and added vanilla extract. They're perfect, sweet enough and yet a little tangy from the blueberries. Oh and those blueberries; big, juicy fresh {or frozen}and none of that imitation crap.

The kids love these for breakfast of course but also for snacks. Sometimes I'll make them into minis and let them take 2-3 for lunch instead of a sandwich or wrap. They like the change up and I know they're getting something that's pretty healthy.

Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup canola oil {coconut oil also works well}
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:
In a large bowl add in both flours, sugar, salt and baking powder, mix together to combine. Add in oil, egg, milk and vanilla. Whisk together just to combine. Fold in blueberries, be careful not to overmix.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners, divide batter among muffin wells. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes 12 regular sized muffins.

*If making minis, bake for about 10 minutes or until done. Will yield 24 or more mini muffins.

So yesterday after church we had a mini photo session with our family, since we made the hubby happy by all wearing our jerseys :) I love my little family!

Peach Blueberry Cake

Let me tell you, it's felt like one crazy week. Besides the girls starting school yesterday and everything that went along with that; I've also been busy processing forty pounds of peaches. But that's a post for another day.

So yesterday our oldest two daughters headed back to school, starting 1st and 8th grade. I'm honestly sad to see summer go, I love each and every day with my girls and always feel blessed that I'm able to work from home and be here for them. At the same time, it was a much needed break as well to have the house so quiet yesterday! With only our three year old home, it was peaceful.

She was a big helper in the kitchen, we had fun trying out some new recipes yesterday in attempt to use up the last of our peaches.

I made this on Sunday for dinner with my parents. It's a very unique dessert and everyone loved it. I don't know if cake is the correct term, it's made in a springform pan just as a cheesecake would be. The dough itself was almost like sugar cookie dough, yes I did taste it :)

When baked through the flavor and texture did remind me of pound cake. The middle is filled with lots of fresh blueberries and peaches and we enjoyed our slices with scoops of vanilla ice cream. It really was a perfect dessert for a warm summer day!

I would definitely recommend saving this dessert for an occasion when you can serve it all at once, having no leftovers. It's best enjoyed the day it's made and even while warm. Because there is so much fruit filling, there is some liquid and it just doesn't keep for very long.

Peach Blueberry Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks butter, cold and cubed
2 eggs
1-1/2 tsp vanilla

for the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
6 peaches, pitted and sliced
1-1/2 cups blueberries
Juice from one half of lemon

Directions:
For the dough, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into food processor. Pulse just to combine. Add in cubed butter and process until mixture is crumbly. Add in eggs and vanilla, process just until dough forms into a ball.

Remove dough and transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, press dough out covering the bottom and evenly up the sides. Place pan in fridge to chill while you make the filling.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour and tapioca. Add in sliced peaches, blueberries and lemon juice. Toss everything together to coat fruit well. Spoon filling into prepared pan. Cover pan with foil, place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Filling should be bubbling and crust will be golden brown by this time. Remove from oven to let cool at least 20-25 minutes before removing sides of the pan. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream if desired.

Slightly adapted from: Annie's Eats