I came up with this recipe when my doctor told me I needed to eat more fiber, and I was sick of eating store-bought protein bars for breakfast in the car between the gym and work. Ingredients such as wheat germ, flaxseed, protein powder, peanut butter, and oats make this a healthy way to start the day!
Prep Time::15 mins
Cook Time::30 mins
Additional Time:: 1 hr
Total Time:: 1 hr 45 mins
Servings::12
Yield::1 dozen bars
Ingredients
cooking spray
1 ½ cups quick-cooking oats
¼ cup wheat germ
¼ cup ground flax seed
2 tablespoons vanilla-flavored hemp protein powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
3 bananas
¼ cup peanut butter (such as Jif®)
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup natural peanut butter, or to taste
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil, letting foil hang down over the sides of the pan; spray pan with cooking spray.
Stir oats, wheat germ, flax seed, protein powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a bowl. Mash bananas in a separate large bowl and stir 1/4 cup Jif® peanut butter, honey, and vanilla extract into bananas, mixing well. Stir dry ingredients into banana mixture and spread into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Spread 1/4 cup natural peanut butter over top.
Continue baking until lightly browned on the edges and set, 10 more minutes. Let cool in the pan and lift bars onto a work surface using aluminum foil as handles. Cut into bars, wrap in plastic wrap, and store in refrigerator.
Cook’s Note
You can use any type of protein powder. I use hemp because it is high-fiber. If you use a very sweet powder, I'd suggest lowering the amount of honey. I typically use a brand-name peanut butter (such as Jiff) inside the bars and an all-natural peanut butter to spread on top. After they are cooled, I cut them into individual servings and cover them in plastic wrap for a grab-and-go breakfast.