Choc Peanut Butter Oat Bars

Another snack recipe, who would have thought? 

I used to eat store-bought muesli bars daily as my go-to snack for school. They were convenient, tasty and there was a huge array of bars to choose from at the supermarket. Going vegan, those choices became significantly smaller (and a LOT more expensive!). Most packaged bars are also filled with a whole range of ingredients I'd rather not put into my body, such as vegetable oils, refined sugars and syrups, artificial flavours, fillers and stabilisers, preservatives and more...basically just making them 'food-like products'. By making my own bars, I'm saving money, I know exactly what's going into my body and they taste delicious too! 

These clif-bar inspired Choc-PB Oat Bars make a great snack for any time of the day, and a fantastic choice post-workout because they're packed with low-GI complex carbohydrates and high quality plant protein. Together with plenty of fibre and other nutrients, such as potassium, magnesium, iron and essential fatty acids. Pure goodness in a bar.

Bonus points for only taking a few minutes to make (apart from the baking time), so I love to make a big batch once a week to have on hand and grab as I leave the house.

Also: Chocolate peanut butter is a match made for each other and we can always do with a little more of it in our lives!

Don't forget to tag me on Instagram if you try out this recipe so I can see your wonderful choc-pb creations!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup puffed brown rice
• 1/2 cup pitted dates
• 1 heaped tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp cacao powder
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp flaxseed meal (or psyllium husk)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsp plant based protein powder (see notes)

Method:

1. Soak the dates in warm water for 10 minutes to soften and preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Combine the quinoa, oats, rice puffs, cinnamon, cacao, protein and flax meal in a bowl and mix well
3. In a blender, add the peanut butter, dates, vanilla and almond milk, blending until smooth
4. Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together so everything is well coated, then press the mixture firmly and evenly into a baking paper lined brownie tin
5. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown
6. Allow to cool completely before slicing. ENJOY!

Notes:

• I recommend using a natural plant based protein powder (chocolate flavour works best for this recipe!), you can also substitute for equal quantities of oat flour and cacao powder
• These bars can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for a week. They also freeze well!