Wow, these came out great. They taste very similar to the popular Bobo’s PB&J’s, and are less dry and have a bit more flavor ;). Calorically dense, full of nutrient-packed ingredients, very easy to eat, and ready for BASE SEASON. I call these base bars because they have more fat and a bit more fiber than I would typically put in a bar meant for exercise, but will work great during low to moderate intensity bike rides, trail runs, easy to moderate road runs, hikes, and other sustained low to moderate intensity exercise. A lot of the athletes I work with are getting into low/moderate intensity long miles training. These are perfect for these days when athletes are needing to up their caloric intake to meet energy needs. They also work great as a snack between meals for busy days.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dates, pitted
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 cups quick oats
- 1 cup peanut butter, natural salted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup jam (flavor of choice)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
- Place dates in a food processor and blend until it forms a ball.
- Add all other ingredients to the food processor. If there’s too much bulk for the food processor, leave out some of the oats. Blend until uniform consistency.
- Use a rubber spatula to move contents from food processor into a bowl. Add all other oats if necessary.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1+ hours.
- Cut or rip 17, 6″ by 6″ squares of foil or parchment paper.
- Remove bowl from fridge.
- Wash your hands.
- Place the first piece of foil in front of you.
- Use your hands to form a ‘bar’ of mixture into a rectangle, roughly 1″x1″x2-3″s.
- Wrap the foil on hotdog/long sides of the bar first and then the short side of the bar. This allows for easy access during exercise.
- Repeat until all mixture is gone/used up. If you don’t make exactly 17 bars, that is totally okay! They likely will be pretty close :).
- Store bars in fridge until time of use (for during exercise and snacks). This helps them keep their shape. Store any extra bars in a bag in the freezer for later!
Makes 17 bars
Nutrition Facts per bar (calculated on cronometer.com):
228kcals
7g protein
30g carbs
11g fat
93mg sodium
