Sweet Potato Oat Bars

I love when I look at a list of ingredients from a recipe book and every item that it calls for is at my finger tips!  When I first started down the path of clean eating, that wasn't by any stretch the case.  Oh...how far I've come! :)

As I have said several times before, when it comes to living this lifestyle Tosca Reno stands out among the rest in terms of her resilience in igniting the eat clean movement among the masses...spreadin' the love one person at a time. She's making a dent - that is for sure!  I love her books - I own them all - in fact, several of them I own more than one copy so I can "give-it-away" when I meet someone who seems keenly interested in making the change but who's also not necessarily the type to run out to the bookstore and jump on it. Handing off a turn-key "your lifestyle changes now" book is a feel-good way to help someone start TODAY and not tomorrow (crossing my fingers...err and toes!).  I use to let people borrow my books but time and time again I found myself feeling a little (okay, A LOT) lost without out them!  

While I am a woman who loves being immersed in words, I also thoroughly enjoy testing out her many many recipes and so appreciate the full color, full page, photo that compliments each dish.  Tonight, taken from one my favorites, and the one that I tend to recommend most, The Eat Clean Diet Recharged, I pulled together her clean Sweet Potato Oat Bars (page 290) with just a few minor modifications.  The aroma that came from the oven was worth the effort alone! 

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil - I used organic soy oil as I never like to "heat" olive oil. 
• 5 Sweet Potatoes
• 4 Cups Oats - not instant folks - get the real stuff
• 3/4 Cup Skim Milk - I used organic soy milk -
• Soured with 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice - I used fresh
• 1/4 Cup Finely Ground Flaxseed - So easy to grind your own flaxseed with a coffee grinder...inexpensive must have kitchen item!
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup - I used about 1/4 cup Raw Agave Maple Flavored....Love agave because it absorbs slowly into the bloodstream (low GI) so doesn't have a significant impact on blood-sugar levels and best yet is a little goes a LONG ways. 
• 2 Tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice 
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Butter
• 1/2 Cup Dried Fruits (raisins, dates, cherries and/or blueberries), chopped - I used organic dried cherries.
• 1/2 Cup Raw Unsalted Nuts (almonds, walnuts and/or pecans), chopped - I used a combination of raw almonds and pecans.   
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9" x 13" (1" deep) baking dish by coating lightly with olive oil - I used parchment paper instead.

2.  Prick sweet potatoes all over. Place in oven and bake until tender. (Note, only until tender, I cooked mine a little too long making my bars a little more moist than desired) Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, remove potato peels and place flesh in a large mixing bowl. Leave oven on and set heat to 400 degrees.

3.  Add all remaining ingredients to sweet potato mixture. Mix well.

4.  Press into prepared baking pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden on top.

5.  Remove from heat and let cool. Cut into squares.

Sweet Potato Bars warm out of the oven...So yummy!

I will be enjoying a square of these in the morning with my six egg whites!
Want one?  I have plenty to share! :)

Keep it Clean & Enjoy the Ride,

Mrs. Skinny Fat
Nutritional Value (based on no alternations to the original Tosca Reno - Eat Clean Diet Recharged! recipe)
Calories: 189 - Calories from Fat: 43 - Protein: 6g - Carbs: 31g - Total Fat: 5.5 - Saturated Fat: 1g -
Trans Fat: 0 - Fiber: 4g - Sodium: 20g - Cholesterol: Omg - Sugar, 8g