Pumpkin Bars

I've had this recipe for years now and it only seemed fitting that it would be one of the first recipes I posted for dinner club. Now you may be wondering, why does this recipe call for 9 tbsp of egg whites, that seems a little insane in my opinion. Well these pumpkin bars were created with the intention of balancing the ratio of carbs/protein/fats to a 50/30/20 split. A benefit to using pumpkin as the filler for these bars is that pumpkins (and all other orange food) are a great source of caroteniods! 

The crunchy texture  from the nuts and seeds of these breakfast bars is paired with the smooth nutty taste of the oatmeal filling. A hint of nutmeg with extra cinnamon mixed in with the pumpkin gives these bars a fall taste. Coupled with a pumpkin spice latte, you're ready to take on the morning with one of these pumpkin bars.

A majority of my and my fiancée family is gluten free. So a lot of the time when I'm cooking or baking, out of habit I will sub out ingredients to make sure my recipes are considerate of those with dietary restrictions. In addition to taking allergies and restrictions into consideration I also had to keep in mind that in general I love having some good fiber filled oats in the morning. So when gathering all the ingredients for this recipe oats was one of the first things I grabbed from the pantry.

For those of you that avoid animal products, have no fear because this recipe is just as delicious and vegan inclusive if you skip adding the egg whites!