Easy Quinoa And Oat No-Bake Breakfast Power Bars

It’s a terrible habit, but there are many days I don’t eat breakfast. In fairness, I’m not super hungry first thing in the morning. In a perfect world, I would probably eat breakfast at 10 am; but life is busy and that’s not going to happen. For my boys, who always get up super early, I like to make a hot breakfast: nothing crazy, but something balanced with some type of protein to start them off right, especially on a school day. My husband is super easy and will eat just about anything. So that leaves me, and what to eat. In thinking about what I should or could eat, something small and quick is often where I come out. With that in mind, I came up with this recipe for quinoa and oat breakfast energy bars and they go great with my coffee.

I started with oats and tricolor quinoa as my base. I incorporated sweet delicious Medjool dates which I love. They are a so-called “energy dense fruit” and I think they are a great way to add sweetness to almost anything. They also help bind, which is important because I wanted these power bars to be no-bake. To the dates, I also added fresh unsweetened almond butter (another favorite and a great source of protein), as well as a bit of coconut oil, local raw honey and just a touch of vanilla. To make the texture more interesting, I threw in a bit of raw coconut and chai seeds. And because they are power bars that substitute for breakfast, I needed a bit more “power;” so I added some protein powder (I prefer chocolate flavored) just as I do when I make my favorite breakfast protein shake.

With just a bit of chilling time required, these power bars are just what I need for my early mornings. I will also add that my older son discovered these and may have liked them a bit more than I wanted. This recipe makes about 8-10 bars depending on how you slice them, and you can double the batch if you have a family that likes to snack.

Quinoa And Oat Power Bars

November 25, 2017

Servings: 10-12

Prep: 20 min

Cook:

Total: 1 hr 20 min

Difficulty: easy

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By: simmerandsauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup cooked tri-color quinoa
2 cups uncooked oats
10 Medjool dates, pitted
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup unsweetened almond butter
2 1/2 tablespoons protein powder
2 tablespoons raw shredded coconut
1 tablespoon chai seeds
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Step 1 Line a 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper, allowing some overhang and set aside.
Step 2 Cook the quinoa per the package instructions and cool completely.
Step 3 In a small mixing bowl add the quinoa and oats, mix well and set aside.
Step 4 Using a food processor, such as a Cusinart, fitted with a metal blade attachment, add the pitted dates, coconut oil, almond butter, protein powder. Pulse on/off till the dates are mostly chopped and it looks more like a paste. Add the coconut, chai seeds and vanilla extract. Pulse to incorporate.
Step 5 Add the quinoa-oat mixture to the food processor and pulse on/off to blend, scrapping down the sides as you go.
Step 6 Using a spatula, scrape the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Using a glass jar or cup, gently put the power bar mixture firmly and evenly into the baking dish. Be sure to go over a second time to make sure it is compressed as much as possible.
Step 7 Cover and refrigerate for at least on hour to set.
Step 8 Remove from the refrigerator and using a serrated knife, slice the power bars into the desired size. For best results, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Can be kept for 5 days.