Snacks are such an important way to get additional nutrition in between meals and satisfy your hunger. They’re especially important for people who need to eat small, frequent meals (which is pretty much anyone with any GI issues). As of late, these peanut butter banana bread energy bars are my favorite snacks to bring to work. I’ve even brought them hiking on my trip to Maine and they held up well.
(I found the original recipe on a blog, but can’t track down the source. If this sounds like your recipe let me know so I can link to you as the inspiration!)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add to food processor:
– 1 can white beans (rinsed and drained)
– 1/4 cup maple syrup
– 1 large ripe banana or 1 1/2 small ripe bananas (you’ll know it’s large if you look at it and think “this is freakishly huge”)
– 1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut/seed/soy butter of choice)
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
Blend well, then add:
– 1 1/2 cup oats (certified gluten free if necessary. I’ve used both quick oats and regular with success)
– 1 tsp cinnamon (or just a few shakes if you’re like me and don’t measure spices)
– pinch of salt
Blend until all ingredients combined, then add:
– 1 cup chocolate chips, if desired (check for dairy free, if needed)
– 1 cup pecans or other nuts, if desired
Blend until the add-ins are mixed in, but still chunky.
Spread the mixture in a 13x 9″ baking dish lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 minutes on convection. Use a smaller dish if you want your bars to be thicker.
Lift parchment paper from baking dish and let cool on cooling rack before cutting. This recipe makes 12 bars or about 36 bite sized squares. I personally prefer squares so I can eat them at different times throughout the day, but any way you cut them, they’re still delicious!
New for fall:
Turn these into Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread Energy Bars! Simply sub 3/4 cup pumpkin puree for the banana and 1tsp pumpkin pie spice for cinnamon. Totally new but still delicious!
