“You put a baby in a crib with an apple and a rabbit. If it eats the rabbit and plays with the apple, I’ll buy you a new car.” ~ Harvey Diamond
When my youngest brother requested a recipe for a pre-workout snack, I put everything aside and worked on it for this adorable young man who has turned out to be such a fine gentleman.
And since he is so darn special, I have come up with more than one recipe, so that he gets a variety for the next few months. He is THAT special!
This one is vegan, and has no added sugar, no flour, and no bad fats. The peanut butter, which is a great protein source, can be replaced with applesauce if you have a cholesterol worry. If you are really picky, ensure your peanut butter has no added sugars,
The figs, dates and bananas lend the natural sweetener, and the nuts and seeds add the crunch. They can be made in a jiffy and store well for 5 days, if they last that long even. This recipe is enough for 8 medium sized bars.
You can drizzle some chocolate or caramel on top and set them in the fridge for a couple of hours too. But my handsome brother didn’t want the extra sugar, hence I refrained.
Cut them out into large bars, and have one before your evening workout for the perfect source of energy and nutrition.
My baby brother approves!
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The Recipe
Serves Recipe fills a 8”×8” square pan. Yields: 8 | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 25 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup mashed banana (roughly 1 ½ bananas)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter (crunchy or creamy) OR apple sauce
- ¼ cup roughly crushed up or ground almonds
- ¼ cup chopped nuts and dried fruits (dried figs, dates, cranberries, blueberries, goji berries, walnuts, pistachios)
- ¼ cup seeds (chia seeds, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Whisk the almonds, cinnamon, salt and oats in a bowl.
- Then stir in the seeds, nuts and dried fruits.
- Whisk the mashed bananas and peanut butter well in a separate bowl.
- Line and grease the parchment paper.
- Spread the mixture on the baking tray and press down firmly.
- Bake at 140°C for 25 minutes.
- Let cool before slicing up and serving.
- You can store in an airtight container for 5 days.
