Homemade Oat Bars

Between coaching classes, private sessions, nutrition consultations and my own workouts, fitting in the macronutrients I need each day can get tough! Of course I always preach to get as much of your nutrients as possible from real, whole-foods but sometimes life is busy and hectic and time doesn’t allow for you to sit down and eat your chicken and veggies!

I do limit my protein bar intake to 1 per day at most. Relying too heavily on protein bars can mean missing out on other important nutrients you need AND they can be really expensive when you purchase quality bars!

My current preferences for bars are Rx Bars and Bobo Oat Bars. These include the fewest, real ingredients and best macronutrient profile for me. However, they are over $2 per bar and I can only get them at certain grocery stores that are outside of my usual shopping trip!

When I was reading the nutrition label ingredients list on a bar recently, I realized I could probably make something very similar for MUCH less money per bar! So after a few trail runs (dates have pits that you sometimes have to take our before blending them all into tiny rock hard pieces 😉 ) this recipe has been a great, inexpensive option for my daily protein bar fix! I also included lots of super foods like chia seeds and hemp seeds to increase the nutrient profile by now including Omega-3’s, antioxidants, plant-based proteins, and fiber!

Macronutrients per bar/bite (25g serving) are 100 calories, 3.5g protein, 10g carbs, 5g fats. (I do want to use a cinnamon protein powder next time to increase protein content and keep the cinnamon flavor still!)

Ingredeints

70 grams Dates (pitted)

1 cup water

6T Chia Seeds

1.5T Hemp Seeds

1 cup Oats

2T Peanut Butter

1 Egg white

1t Cinnamon

30g mini chocolate chips (added in or melted for drizzle)

1oz dried blueberries (Optional for more texture, a tart touch to the sweetness, and some additional carbs for pre-workout energy!)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
In a blender (I use my Ninja blender; thanks to my bff Genevieve!), add the Dates, water, egg white, hemp seeds, peanut butter, and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly.
Pour the oats and chia seeds into a large bowl and add the blended liquid to the bowl. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed by the oats and seeds.
Mix in the chocolate chips (or any other add-ins you’d like, like nuts, other seeds, dried fruits, shredded coconut, ect.)
For baking, there are two ways to enjoy; either in a “bite” or in a “bar”! For the bite, measure out about 25g (2T) of the mixture and place in a mini-muffin pan (if you have one). Otherwise, for the bar, lightly grease a cookie sheet (I wiped it down with coconut oil) and press the mixture out into one equal layer, thickness depends on how large your would like each bar!
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the bites or bar are all set and may be slightly browned.
If you prefer the chocolate drizzle instead of/in addition to the chips – melt the chocolate chips over low heat, then pour over the bars/bites once they’ve finished cooking!
Enjoy as a sweet treat throughout your day, as a pre-workout boost, as post-workout recovery, or evening dessert!