Apricot-Almond Breakfast Bars

My love of apricots is no secret. Nor is it a surprise (at least for those who know me) that at 47, I still don’t consider myself a morning person. Not at all, but I’ve accepted it. With kids, this can be challenging. This is a recipe for apricot-almond breakfast bars that I created for myself and my inability to eat much of anything when I first wake up, excluding coffee that is.

10 am is my preferred hour to begin eating in the morning. If we’re being honest, what my “ideal morning” would look like is me sitting on a terrace with a warm croissant and a latte, but let’s face it, that’s not in the cards. Like many stay-at-home moms, my day begins early, around 6 am. What follows is a tight routine of feeding the dogs, walking the dogs, waking up the kids, pulling the kids out of bed, making breakfast, packing lunches, and getting everyone to their respective places (hopefully) on time. Sounds familiar to many I’m sure. The issue is, what follows.

What comes next in my day is; exercise, cleaning up the house, laundry, showering, errands, appointments, phone calls, more dog walking, house repairs, deliveries blog work, dinner prep, etc. By 10 am, when I feel like I could eat, it’s too late Either I’ve forgotten completely or I’m out of the house already and there’s no going back. And so the cycle continues. I am a person who craves organization and schedules and strongly dislikes curveballs that mess up those highly plotted-out systems. But, I have kids and with that, we all know, it’s a series of endless curveballs you must navigate daily. 

Last year my family’s mid-February “break” was no such thing, it was a total “train wreck“.  My younger son returned from his mandatory 5th grade week-long Outdoor Ed program with the flu despite having received his yearly flu shot months ago. It’s happened before. If you have ever had the flu, you know my pain, it is unlike anything else, fast to come and very slow to go. 4 days later my older son went down with it.  I followed shortly after, not with the flu, but something close to it. So with 3 out of 4 down (and one fearful of touching just about anything), we became “that family” with symptom management our sole focus. Let’s call it what it was–total hell.

In such trying times, finding time to eat breakfast became even harder for me. So that experience is what inspired me to develop a breakfast bar recipe, not for my kids, but for me. Simple, healthy, nutrient-rich, bars that were, an easy grab-and-go option for when life gets crazy. Between last year’s miserable winter season and the current corvid 19 virus nightmare we are all living through, I thought this was an appropriate post to share now. Life throws curveballs all the time reinforcing the idea that unexpected and challenging times can happen when we least expect it, but we can (and will) get through it.

I loaded these apricot-almond bars with some of my favorites; whole grains, almonds, apricots, and dates. I also toss in some cashew butter for protein and a touch of maca root powder for an extra boost. The maca plant has exploded in popularity in recent years and is believed to help improve energy and stamina. Native to Peru, maca, sometimes referred to as Peruvian ginseng, can be found in powder or capsule form. Maca root is considered a cruciferous vegetable but has an earthy and nutty flavor. Because of this, it’s a great addition to smoothies, oatmeal, and sweet treats such as these tasty little grab-and-go breakfast bars.