Cleaning Out the Freezer: Recipe #1

I am on a mission to clean out our freezer (and cupboards) as we get more and more fresh produce locally.  My husband has been telling me I should prepare for preserving the garden and I was inspired by some other bloggers who are trying to cut their grocery costs by cooking from the food they have stored up. 

I have already gone through some of our freezer stock.  I found some shredded zucchini the other day that I knew would make a great treat.  I didn't want the same old zucchini bread so I dug through my recipe box.  I found a recipe for "Zucchini-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip Bars" that was ripped from a magazine.  Two things you should know about me concerning this recipe:  I have never been a huge fan of chocolate and zucchini together and I don't like to follow recipes.  In my kitchen, recipes are for inspiration and ideas, not the definitive how-to. 

So here is my adaptation that morphed into Zucchini-Oatmeal Cinnamon Bars:

Beat until smooth:
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp oil
3 Tbsp flax meal

Add:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon

Stir in:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup shredded zucchini
cinnamon chips (or chocolate chips if you prefer)
3/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Spread mixture in a greased 13x9 pan and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned. 

I am guestimating some of the measurements as I just dumped some of the ingredients in the bowl.  I had about 3/4 of a bag of cinnamon chips.  I absolutely adore these and they are a nice substitution for chocolate chips in many recipes.  The bars made a nice treat, warm from the oven, when my in-laws stopped over.  They were also a nice breakfast bar the next morning for me and the dogs ;)  Not overly sweet and adjusted to be somewhat healthy!