Junk Free Muesli Bars
Store bought muesli bars often contain a lot of added sugar and a ton of dried fruit, quickly spiking insulin levels and then leaving you to crash energy wise an hour later.
After much trial and error (it's hard to get muesli bar consistency without a surplus of dried fruit to stick it all together!) here is a great recipe for a muesli bar that WONT give the massive sugar hit, but is full of healthy fibre and protein to get you through the morning or through until dinner time.
Makes 8 bars
Time: 10 mins + 20 min bake
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup almond butter (or cashew/peanut etc)
- 1 banana, mashed
- 1/4 cup rice malt syrup
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats or quinoa flakes (or if want to keep grain free, replace for desiccated coconut)
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup flaxmeal
- 1/4 cup psyllium husk
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 Tbls sesame seeds
- 2 Tbls flax seeds
- 2 Tbls chia seeds
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Line a medium-sized baking pan with baking paper.
2. In a bowl combine mashed banana, nut butter, coconut oil, rice malt syrup and salt.
3. Into a food processor, add the oats, coconut, flaxmeal, pysllium husk, almond meal and seeds. Pulse for 30 seconds to roughly break up the seeds and oats.
4. Pour wet mixture into food processor and pulse. Mixture should now be of a consistency that it will stick together when pushed between your fingers. If still crumbly add a tablespoon of milk or water to bind.
5. Press into the baking pan and smooth the top with back of a spoon or fingers.
6. Bake for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown around the edges but still moist in the center. Remove from oven and cool completely in the pan before cutting into 8-10 bars.
These muesli bars will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. No need to refrigerate.
NOTE: If wanting to make these completely 'sugar free' then leave out the banana, but mixture will be a more crumbly.