Flavorful Friday: Homemade Peanut Butter Oat Bars (Only 7 Ingredients)

It’s Flavorful Friday & I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes with you. I make this recipe about every other week. It’s a perfect snack to have on hand for when you get ‘hangry’! If I was ever stranded on a deserted island this is one food item I would want to have with me! The oats help keep you full and the peanut butter gives you protein. Now, I’m going to be honest here…I’m always hungry! I like to eat every 2-3 hours. I feel better eating this way, have more energy, and I don’t ever get stuck in a situation where I’m STARVING and need to just grab something unhealthy to eat because I’m that hungry. I would actually be a horrible person to be stranded on a deserted island with! LOL

I’m not the kind of person that ever gets ‘So busy I forgot to eat’. I don’t know how anyone can forget to eat. My belly won’t ever let me forget LOL I eat a protein filled breakfast daily and then about mid-morning I have a healthy snack to hold me over until lunch-time. I even plan my day around my eating schedule. If I know I have a bunch of appointments back-to-back, I make sure I pack food to bring along with me. When I make these Peanut Butter Oat Bars I always put two of them in a snack size baggie and put them in my purse so I have them handy if I’m out and need a snack to hold me over until I can get something more substantial in my belly. My mother-in-law has been taking these to work with her and she loves having something healthy to have with her.

This recipe is super simple to make and doesn’t have a ton of ingredients (like all my recipes). I hope you enjoy them!

Peanut Butter Oat Bars Recipe
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup Coconut Nectar (can use raw honey instead, but coconut nectar is low glycemic with a GI
of 35, has 17 amino acids, abundant source of minerals, vitamin C and broad spectrum B
vitamins)
* 1 tbsp coconut oil
* 1/2 cup organic crunchy peanut butter
* 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
* 2 cups organic rolled oats
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300 F
2. Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper, making sure the paper hangs over the sides.
3. In a microwave safe bowl, add coconut nectar, coconut oil, and peanut butter. Microwave for 45
seconds or until mixture gets runny and peanut butter is mixed.
4. Mix in vanilla extract and cinnamon.
5. Add oats and almonds. Mix until everything is combined and mixture is completely coated in
peanut butter mixture.
6. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down with back of spoon.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly brown. (25 minutes works for my oven)
8. Once you take the bars out of the oven, press down with back of a spoon to insure the oats are
pressed firmly together.
9. Let the bars cool slightly then carefully take out the bars by grabbing onto the parchment paper.
10. Cut into 12 slices.
11. Let cool completely and harden at room temp. Store in air tight container.

Enjoy!

Carrie A Groff
-Healthy, Fit & Barefoot!
“Happiness is Barefoot on the Beach!”