These oat bars are the perfect pre- or post-workout fuel: high in protein for recovery, with a good mix of simple and complex carbohydrates to refuel your muscle glycogen stores. This version is oil-free and gets its sweetness from bananas, dried fruit and just a little maple syrup.
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They’re soft in the middle, chewy on the outside, with some crunch from the nuts and seeds.
Time: 5 minutes prep + 25 minutes cooking
Difficulty: easy
Storage: keep in the fridge for up to three days, or freeze for up to three months
Ingredients (makes 12 bars):
- 2 large ripe bananas
- 150g oats (or GF oats)
- 25g pumpkin seeds
- 25g sunflower seeds
- 50g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 80g raisins
- 180g smooth peanut butter
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 tbsp soy milk
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a small (23cm x 23cm) baking tray with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash up the bananas until they become runny. Add the oats, seeds, walnuts and raisins.
- Tip the peanut butter and maple syrup into a small saucepan and heat gently to soften the peanut butter and combine. Pour the peanut butter/maple syrup mixture into the oats mixture along with the soy milk, and stir until all the dry ingredients are fully coated with the wet ingredients.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined baking tray and flatten the mixture down with a spoon until level. Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until just turning golden around the edges.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the tin and cutting into 12 bars.
TOP TIP:
Try stirring through or topping with some optional extras, for example other dried fruits, ground cinnamon, vegan chocolate chips, orange zest, sesame seeds, or other nuts and seeds.
PER BAR:
Kcals: 251, Protein: 7.9g, Carbs: 26g, Fat: 13.5g, Fibre: 3.6g
Recipe taken from The Plant-Based Power Plan by TJ Waterfall (published by Penguin Life)
