Eat Your Oats!

I've been hanging onto this recipe for Crumbly Apricot Oat Bars for some time now and finally got around to baking this last night. It's yet another recipe that contains some good-for-you oats and is loaded with lots of fiber-rich, heart-healthy apricots. According to the website, The World's Healthiest Foods, apricots are rich in Vitamin A which is a powerful antioxidant that promotes good vision, and they are also a good source of beta-carotene and lycopene which help prevent heart disease. Yes, these bars do have their fair share of butter and could even pass as a dessert, but hey, when something is packed with so many other health promoting ingredients, I say, let go and enjoy. Plus, they taste so darn good! One side note, you may have noticed that the fruit filling is more of a deep purple color, not at all apricot-looking. Well, I realized at the last minute that I didn't have any apricot preserves on hand so I simply substituted with some low-sugar blueberry preserves instead. I thought the combination of apricots and blueberries made a very nice pair. Oh, and if you're feeling particularly indulgent, top these off with some vanilla ice cream (or frozen yogurt).