BLUEBERRY OAT SNACK BARS & 4-INGREDIENT PROTEIN BARS

Mouth drooling. Knees weak. Arms heavy. These blueberry oat snack bars have left me with ALL the feels thanks to the lovely Kendra Peterson with Drizzle Kitchen.

The thing I love most about this recipe (other than the taste) is the ingredient list! This isn't one of those recipes where you have to hit the bulk section for 1 tbsp of this and 1 tsp of that. Does anyone else despise that or is it just me?

"Not too sweet, not too gummy and not to difficult" hits the nail on the head when describing these beauties!

BLUEBERRY OAT SNACK BARS

Makes 12 scrumptious bars (or one giant sit on the couch and devour out of the pan serving, no judging) 

INGREDIENTS: 

- 2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed blueberries

- 3 tbsp ground flax seed

- 2 tbsp fresh lemon zest

- 2 tbsp maple syrup

CRUST

- 2 ripe bananas, mashed

- 3 tbsp melted coconut oil

- 2 tbsp maple syrup

-2 tbsp lemon zest

- 1 cup old fashioned oats

- 1 cup quinoa flour

- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom (or cinnamon) 

- 1/4 lightly ground almonds or pumpkin seeds

WHAT TO DO

1.Preheat oven to 350 and line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl mix together the blueberries, flax meal, lemon zest and maple syrup. Set aside. If you are using fresh blueberries lightly mash some of them with the back of a fork.

3. In another medium bowl mix together all the crust ingredients until evenly moistened. Reserve about 1 cup for the topping and press the rest into the 8×8 pan.

4. Spoon the blueberry mixture on top of the bottom crust and then sprinkle reserve crust on top.

5. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden brown.

6. Let sit about an hour and then slice and enjoy!

ENJOY!

If you haven't checked out the Drizzle Kitchen yet, prepare your taste buds. Find them here and here. Kendra is a total sweat heart and the story of Drizzle Kitchen is extremely inspiring. Have a listen to her recent interview on the She Did It Her Way Podcast here. One of my favourite podcasts (so many #wcw developed from that cast).

If you are looking for some other healthy, easy recipes you can sign up for my free e-book by clicking here or check out these vegan cinnamon rolls I recently fell in love with.

*BONUS*

So many of you have been asking me lately about my favourite high-protein snack and this delicious treat has to be up there. As I am writing this, I am munching on one of the 4 ingredient bars (which are so easy to make). Below is the recipe that takes just minutes to make!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup raw almonds

1 cup raw cashews

1 cup pure egg white protein

18 large dates, pitted

2-4 tbsp water

OPTIONAL FLAVOR ADD-INS

• 1 TBS cinnamon

• 1 cube fresh ginger (or 1 tsp ground)

• 1/4 cup cacao powder

• 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

WHAT TO DO?

1. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, set aside.

2. In the bowl of your food processor, process almonds, cashews, and egg white protein until nuts have broken down into small pieces. If using additional flavors (I used cinnamon and ginger here) add them with the first step.

3. Add in pitted dates and process until combined–the mixture will look a little dry. With the motor running about 1 tablespoon of water at a time until mixture is sticky and everything comes together. Depending on if your dates were juicy or dry, you may need less or more water.

4. Once mixtures has come together and is sticky, transfer to lined 8x8 pan. Use slightly wet hands to press evenly into pan.

5. Place pan in fridge for 1 hour, or freezer for 30 minutes before cutting into bars. Use large sharp knife and cutting board, cutting bars into 12 or 16 squares. Enjoy!

Thank you so much to Ashley for changing my life with this recipe!

Stay strong. Be the fire.