Fueling up

"It's just one of those things people worry about, even if it doesn't make sense."

- Wolf-Speaker by Tamora Pierce

Most mornings I am up super early for training...either running, spin class or a gym session (today, because I'm slightly crazy at times, I went to spin and then went for a training run with a friend...lucky I don't work today so I can go back to bed and have a nana nap!). Although I could never eat a proper breakfast before heading out, I certainly can't train on an empty stomach so I normally have some fruit or a muesli bar. These bars are SO good and keep me going right up until I hit the showers (and then I'm definitely ready for breakfast!).


I've changed the recipe enough that it's probably okay to post it so here it is (although each time I make a batch I end up changing the ingredients a bit anyway...it's pretty forgiving):

¼ cup agave nectar
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup rice syrup
¼ cup almond butter
¼ cup peanut butter
⅔ cup chopped dried fruit
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup wholegrain oats
1 cup rye oats
¼ cup ground flaxseed
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup sesame seeds
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¾ cup coconut thread

Heat the agave nectar, molasses, rice syrup, almond butter, peanut butter and dried fruit together in a medium saucepan until the mixture starts to simmer, stirring to make sure the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once it starts to bubble take the pan off the heat.

Mix in the rest of the ingredients (you might need to use your hands here to get it to mix in properly).

Line the base and sides of a 20cm x 20cm baking dish with baking paper and press the mixture firmly into the pan (the firmer you press it in, the better the bars will hold together).

Freezer the mixture in the pan for about 20 minutes and then remove and tip the set mixture onto a cutting board. Slice into bars (I find a bread knife best here). This recipe makes somewhere between 15 and 20 depending on the size you want them but don’t make them too big ‘cause they’re pretty dense!

Wrap each bar up individually and store either in the fridge or freezer.