So, I know I said I was going to stay away from quick bars for a little while, but I just couldn’t help myself. As always, I’m looking for things that are easy to prepare and fun to eat, with a lot of staying power to keep me moving through my days. What else can I say…? I’m a sucker for quick protein snacks and these fit the bill.
There’s a few awesome things about these. First, they take about five minutes to prep, even with blending the oats and buckwheat into flour. All you do is mix the dry ingredients together, and add water…easy! Second, they are vegan and gluten-free, if you are looking for an option that won’t make you feel too bloated. Third, they have a good dose of protein, which will fill you up for a few hours and keep you going through a tough practice, or give you a little pick-me-up snack after you’re done.
The other nice thing about these is that you can play around with the ingredients, using different flours and nuts and seeds to vary the flavor. They offer a variety of options, and keep well in a baggie as a quick snack for any busy day. You can add avocado or hummus, even toast them and try them with a tasty jam.
Super Power Chia Bread*
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds*
- 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats, ground into a flour
- 1/4 cup raw buckwheat groats, ground into a flour (or more oat flour)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup water
1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper, one going each way. (I used a round glass pie dish, because I didn’t have a 9×9…and ended up adding a few extra minutes to the bake time)
2. Add rolled oats and buckwheat into a high-speed blender. Blend on highest speed until a fine flour forms.
3. Add all dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir well until combined. Stir in the water until combined. The mixture will be very watery and runny at first, but it will thicken up fairly quick. Scoop it into the pan and spread it out with a spatula as evenly as possible. You can use lightly wet hands to smooth it down if necessary. Sprinkle the bread with Herbamare or fine grain sea salt before going into the oven.
4. Bake at 325F for about 25 minutes, or until firm to the touch. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then lift it out and transfer it to a cooling rack for another 5-10 minutes. Slice and enjoy!
5. This bread keeps for 2-3 days max – any longer and it gets gummy in texture. You can try freezing it…and toasting it straight from the freezer.
*Recipe from http://www.ohsheglows.com
Quad-Furious 