breakfast bars

OK so these definitely don’t photograph well. But who ever actually looks at the cereal bars under the wrapper? A good option for a camping trip or generally for breakfast on the go. And bonus that they don’t contain 16 tablespoons of sugar or kill the environment with plastic wrappers. Either will keep for a few days in an airtight container – I quite enjoyed having a one and a half of each for my breakfast every day, and they were great for keeping me going until lunch (or elevenses 😉 )

chia, banana, raspberry

50g dates, soaked in boiling water and drained
1 large ripe banana
50g raspberries (defrosted possible)
2 cups rolled oats
pinch salt
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
2 tbsp chia seeds
pinch cinnamon

1. Heat the oven to 180oC and lightly grease a 9-x9-inch square baking dish with olive oil or butter.
2. Peel the banana and mash in a medium mixing bowl. Mash very thoroughly until no large chunks remain, then smoosh in in the raspberries.
3. Add the oats and stir them in. Stir in the salt, dates, nuts and chia seeds.
4. Press into the baking pan then sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges just begin to crisp up.

peanut butter and cocoa

200g dates, soaked in boiling water and drained
1/4 cup (84 g) honey
1/4 cup (64 g) creamy salted natural peanut butter
1 cup (112 g) almonds, loosely chopped
1 1/2 cups (135 g) rolled oats
1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. Alternatively, moosh with a mortar and pestle.
2. Place oats, almonds, cocoa, and dates in a large mixing bowl – set aside.
3. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
4. Pack into a silicone pan then bake 10 minutes at 180oC, just so they firm up but are still smooshy. Alternatively, freeze for half an hour and then store in the fridge.