Like most I tend to be extremely time poor in the mornings. Between my morning workout and attempt to make myself look presentable for the day I am left with very little time to whip up a balanced breakfast. In all honesty even on the days I don’t drag my lazy butt out of bed for a run I’d still rather sneak in an extra 15 minutes sleep than get up and think about preparing food. I’ll admit in the past I’ve fallen into the trap of stocking my cupboard with supermarket bought muesli bars. It’s no secret that the average store bought breakfast bar is not as ‘wholesome’ as it might appear. The majority are laden with sugar and fat so these days I make my own. It takes all of 15 minutes on a Sunday night and I’m set for the week.

This particular breakfast bar is not too sweet which I absolutely love. You can of course add some extra honey or agave if you have a sweet tooth but I personally love this recipe as is. Nutty, chewy, delicious.

Banana Oat Bars

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  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 5 dates
  • 1 cup of oats
  • 1 teaspoon of mixed spice
  • 1 tablespoon cocoa nibs
  • 1 cup mixed nuts (I use almonds, cashews, brazil nuts)
  • ½ cup shredded coconut
  • Handful of Extra shredded coconut and nuts to top

Line a lamington tin with baking paper

Put banana and dates in a blender and blend until it forms a paste

Chop nuts finely

In a large bowl combine oats and mixed spice, add nuts and cocoa nibs

Add the banana mixture to the dry mixture and mix well

Press mixture firmly into the tin

Sprinkle with extra nuts and coconut for decoration

Cover and refrigerate for three hours or overnight

Once the mixture is set remove from the fridge and cut into bars

Makes 12 bars

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Recipe by Bianca Dawson

Photography by Andrew Dawson

 

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