Breakfast or Snack Grab-and-Goes

Each Grab and Go is loaded with great ingredients that supply you with complex carbohydrates, three forms of cholesterol-lowering oats, flaxseed, dried fruit, and a tiny bit of chocolate for your soul.

Big note – these aren’t very sweet so if you are expecting a great big sweet cookie, then you are barking up the wrong tree.

Dry Ingredients:

1½ cups (375 mL) oat bran

1 ½ cups (375 mL) large flake oats

1 cup (250 mL) whole wheat flour or whole grain barley or whole grain spelt flour

¾ cup (175 mL) ground flaxseed – see below for peanut free tips

½ cup (125 mL) Scottish, Irish or steel cut oats

2 tbsp (30 mL) natural wheat germ – note if using whole grain spelt flour omit the wheat germ

2 tbsp (30 mL) cinnamon

1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda

1 cup (250 mL) dried cranberries – see below for peanut free tips

¼ cup (60 mL) at least 60% cocoa mass chocolate chips – see below for peanut free tips

½ cup (125 mL) walnuts, chopped coarsely – see below for peanut free tips

Wet Ingredients:

2 – omega-3 eggs

¼ cup (60 mL) canola oil

¾ cup (175 mL) dark brown sugar, packed

One – 4.5 oz. (128 mL) pouch baby food strained prunes

1 tbsp (15 mL) pure vanilla extract

  1. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of your oven.
  2. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, two if you have them.
  3. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: oat bran, oat flakes, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, steel cut oats, wheat germ, cinnamon, and baking soda using a rubber spatula or a large spoon.
  4. Add dried cranberries or blueberries, chocolate chips, and walnuts (if using) and stir well.
  5. In a medium bowl whisk together the wet ingredients: eggs, oil, brown sugar, baby food prunes and pure vanilla extract until well blended.
  6. Add this to the dry ingredients and stir until it’s really well combined. You can use a stand mixer if you like or a large spoon. I like to mix it with my hands, but the dough is sticky.
  7. You want to make eighteen Grab and Goes, so eyeball an amount that’s bigger than a golf ball and smaller than a tennis ball. Scoop out the batter and then press down so they are ¾ -inch (2 cm) thick and about 3.5-inches (9 cm) wide. If you have a ¼ cup (60 mL) ice cream scoop that has a release button, this is a perfect time to get it out of your junk drawer.
  8. The batter is sticky; either lightly press down with the back of a metal tablespoon or dampen hands and then lightly press down. I use my hands.
  9. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and let sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to set. Gently remove to a cooling rack. Let cool completely and then store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months. I freeze them in individual bags and pop one into my purse the night before I know I’m going to have a grab and go kind of morning.

Makes 18

Each Grab and Go contains: 256 Calories, 10.4 g Total Fat, 1.7 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 81 mg Sodium, 37.8 g Carbs, 5 g Fibre, 1.3 g Soluble Fibre, 14.7 g Sugar, 7 g Protein.

Diabetes Food Choice Values Per Serving: 2 Carbohydrates, 2 Fats

Professional Home Economist Tip:

I am a fan of the sit down breakfast. I like to give myself enough time in the morning to eat a bowl of cereal before I dash off for the day. But I know that many of us need a grab and go type of le petit déjeuner that is equivalent to a bowl of cereal. This whole grain power recipe is the answer.

Eat one Grab and Go with a glass of skim milk and an apple and up your soluble fibre intake to 2.3 g. The other gram comes from the whole unpeeled apple.

If you want to ensure that these snacks are peanut nut free read the labels on your flaxseed, dried cranberries, chocolate chips and walnuts. Many brands process their dried fruits, walnuts and chocolate chips in a plant that is not peanut free.

Check the labels.

Brands that are peanut free are:

  • Flaxseed – I use CanMar it is peanut and tree nut free
  • Dried Cranberries – Craisins (the packages 340 mL and up are processed in a peanut free facility, I couldn’t find a smaller package, but online I have read that the smallest packages are processed in a different facility. To be sure check the label.)
  • Chocolate Chips – either Camino or Enjoy Life both nut free
  • Walnuts – Royal Nuts process their walnuts and all of their nut products in a peanut free facility

In baking, every ingredient has a function in addition to adding flavour. The function of the walnuts in a Grab and Go is to keep them from drying out as they sit patiently waiting for you to eat them.

If you have to eliminate the walnuts, add an extra 2 tbsp (30 mL) of canola oil. You need that extra bit of fat to keep them from turning into mini bricks.

To watch me make these, check out my Facebook Live Wednesday, March 13 at 8:00 EDT search @mairlyn.smith to find me.

Full disclosure: I am not working for any of the companies that I have tagged.

This recipe is originally from Healthy Starts Here (Whitecap 2011) 

9 thoughts on “Breakfast or Snack Grab-and-Goes”

  1. These things were awesome! Hard to eat just one. I used raisins instead of dried blueberries or cranberries because that’s what I had.

    I just bought Healthy Starts Here, great book, I’m learning a lot!

  2. Made these Monday night for the first time. Had to use wheat bran because I couldn’t find oat bran close by (I live in the village of Lakehurst, ON), had to settle for 50% cocoa mass & used a 1/4 dried fruit + 1/4 dried cranberries. I also ended up with 27 because my largest scoop isn’t 60ml as I thought, but 45ml! That’s OK I just split the extra 9 in halves and get 1 1/2 each time. After all that all I can say is YUM!!! I took 3 yesterday when my neighbour & I went to the gym & they were the perfect post workout snack – kept us from stopping & grabbing something far less healthy on the way home! Kim wants the recipe so she can make them for her & her son. Thanks Mairlyn!

    1. Well I’m still giggling – you have become a recipe developer! Love that you recreated my recipe and it still turned out.
      These are our house favs, glad you love them too!
      Peace, love and fibre,
      Mairlyn

  3. Pingback: New Years Resolutions: Tips to make those healthy lifestyle goals stick – Mairlyn Smith

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