Guuuuuys guess what? I am officially a housewife! I had my last day of work on Friday and my first day at home yesterday. It was so weird! I was sitting on the couch, it was well past the time I should have left for work and I felt like I was being so naughty not going in! But after the initial strange feelings I had a leisurely breakfast and then spent the day baking, painting drawers, washing cot sheets, packing the baby bag for the hospital (eeeek) and just…being at home! I have to admit, it was kind of nice.
So now we play the waiting game! Which involves lots of snacking.
Even though I’ve so far managed to avoid massive cravings, sometimes I see something that I do need to have. These No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Bars were inspired by a post on Instagram from Taylor over at Greens & Chocolate. I saw her version of these and made them immediately!
Because I’m at home now I’m pretty keen to make sure I am still eating well…there are too many temptations in the pantry (and freezer) so making sure I have a selection of healthy grab & go snacks around is a big priority and these No Bake Peanut Butter Chia Bars definitely fit the bill. They are sweetened naturally by the honey and the cranberries (ohhhhk and the chocolate on top) and keep you going thanks to the combo of oats and chia seeds.
The only thing is, that they do need to be kept in the fridge. Even though the peanut butter, honey & coconut oil do a pretty good job of holding them together, if they get too warm they do tend to start to fall apart a bit. They still taste delicious, but it gets a little messy! If you weren’t going to be near a fridge, I would freeze a couple of bars and take them with you. That way, they will stay together for longer. And trust me, they won’t need to stay cold for too long before they are demolished!
I can tell these are going to be my go to snack for those midnight feeds and I have it on good authority (thanks Taylor!) that if you add brewer’s yeast to the recipe, they become a super powered snack for breastfeeding mamas!
- 2 cup rolled oats
- 2 TBSP chia seeds
- 1/4 cup dessicated coconut
- 2 TBSP dried cranberries
- 2 TBSP pumpkin seeds
- 2 TBSP sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 pieces (25g) dark chocolate
- 1 tsp coconut oil
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In a medium sized bowl mix together oats, chia seeds, coconut, cranberries, pumpkin seeds & sunflower seeds.
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In a small pot on the stove or in a jug in the microwave, melt together the coconut oil and honey. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and whisk together. Pour into the oat mixture and combine.
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Press into a 20cm x 20cm brownie tin lined with baking paper. Press it in really firmly to help it hold together.
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Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
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Melt together the chocolate and coconut oil and drizzle over the bars, place back in the fridge for 15 minutes until it goes hard and then remove the bars from the tin and slice into 12 bars.
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Keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a couple of weeks.
