Our partnered blogger, Sammy, shares this recipe on her blog, Sammy Boyce Bal.

Eating healthy looks different for everyone, but for me it means eating lots of fruits, veggies, grains and legumes through the week (I generally follow the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine’s power plate for guidance) along with some treats and meals out on the weekend. That set up helps me feel my best while also maintaining a good balance and enjoying my social life. This week I was in the mood for something sweet and chewy, but wanted to stick to eating whole foods. During a recent chat with my mom, I was reminded of one of my childhood favourites – oatmeal raisin cookies! I decided to try and re-create this classic treat with just a few simple, healthy ingredients.

Full disclosure, these are a lot more like baked oatmeal bites than cookies. They’re mildly sweet and chewy, not sugary and greasy like cookies you might buy from a store. The fibre-filled oats make them filling, and the chia/flax bind everything together while providing a healthy source of omega 3s. I’m a huge fan of the classic oatmeal and raisin combination, but they would also be great with chopped pecans and chocolate chips, or maybe walnuts and date pieces instead.

Because these are so healthy, they make a perfect take-and-go breakfast or snack for work or school. I also think they would make a great snack to take on a hike or while travelling. Though I haven’t tried it, I expect they pack pretty well and would make for a perfect layover treat. If you have read my post on how to stay healthy while travelling, you’ll know that I’m a big fan of packing food to take on a travel day. I don’t know about you, but airplane food makes me feel queasy and I would way rather just bring something from home so that I feel top notch when I arrive at my destination. Also, depending on where you’re travelling, finding healthy vegan food isn’t always easy. I learned that lesson the hard way earlier this year when I was stuck in a rural BC airport for 8 hours while travelling for work, and didn’t have anything to eat other than black coffee and a few underripe, green bananas. Ick.

Without further ado, here is the recipe! These quick and easy oatmeal raisin cookies have no refined sugar or oil, and taste delicious. Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast or tea time snack.

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 overripe banana, mashed
• ¼ cup apple sauce
• 1 flax or chia egg (1 tbsp chia or ground flax seeds + 2.5 tbsp water; set aside for 5-10 minutes)
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• Other optional add-ins: chopped pecans, semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped pitted dates or dried cranberries

1. Pre-heat the oven to bake at 350 degrees celsius
2. Mix up your flax or chia egg and set aside
3. Mash the banana and stir in the apple sauce
4. Stir in vanilla extract and cinnamon
5. Stir in the flax or chia egg
6. Fold in the raisins and oats; mix well
7. Spook the mixture onto a lined baking tray
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
9. Let cool for 5 minutes

Enjoy!