Posted 2 months ago
Eat Well, Live Well – Stone Fruit Bars
Ingredients
Crust and Topping
– 1 1/2 cups of roasted almonds (can be replaced with any seed or nut)
– 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats (can use gluten free if needed)
– 1/4 cup of flour (almond, oat, coconut, all-purpose, whole wheat, or gluten free)
– 1/2 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
– 1/4 cup oil (if coconut oil make sure it is melted)
– 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
– 1/4 cup nut or seed butter
Filling
– 3 cups stone fruit (peaches, plumbs, cherries, nectarines, apricots, mangoes), pits removed and chopped – You can use a single fruit or a combination of stone fruits.
– 2 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
– 1/4 cup chia seeds
– 1/2 lemon, juiced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or grease with nonstick spray or rub with oil.
2. Add the almonds, oats to a food processor or blender and pulse until they are broken down to small bits.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine.
4. Use 2/3 of the mixture as the crust and reserve 1/3 of it as the topping. Place that 1/3 mixture in the refrigerator. Press the 2/3 of the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.
5. While crust is baking, make the filling. Add the fruit, sweetener, chia seeds and lemon juice to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat covered for 5 minutes, then remove cover and start mashing the fruit and stirring. Continue to cook for 10 minutes, mashing and stirring occasionally until it has thickened.
6. Pour filling mixture over baked crust and then evenly sprinkle the topping mixture (the remaining 1/3 of the oat mixture) over the fruit filling. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the topping is a golden brown.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes. Then cool completely in the refrigerator before cutting into squares. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Brenda Gridley, CSP, RDN
Brenda is originally from Los Angeles, CA where she attended California State University of Los Angeles for her under graduate degree in Nutritional Science. She began her career with Kaiser Permanente in 2004. Throughout her professional development, she has worked in Cardiology and open heart surgery, Renal/Dialysis, organ transplants and Oncology, including chemotherapy, radiation and head and neck. Brenda has extensive experience with weight management programs, including Bariatric and finally Eating disorders and mindful eating. She went on to specialize in the Pediatric population and has maintained her Certification in Pediatric Nutrition since 2011. Areas she has managed include pediatric and neonatal intensive care units where she was responsible for individualizing therapeutic diets and alternate nutrition support based on specific metabolic needs, medical conditions, and cultural preferences.
Her passion for nutrition was developed at a young age and reared by her grandmother who always instilled the importance of a healthy diet and active lifestyle. When her grandmother became ill, Brenda became aware of the impact nutrition plays in disease prevention and maintaining overall mind and body health. She cared for grandmother until she passed and has made it her goal to help others achieve their full “nutrition potential” with using a culturally sensitive holistic approach.
She is married with two beautiful daughters and in her spare time she enjoys watching movies with her children, experimenting with new recipes, reading mystery novels, running and Yoga.
Please ask your Ironwood Cancer & Research Centers provider for a referral to see our dietary counselors.