Banana Oatmeal Energy Bars

(Easy to make, easy to grab-and-go!)

At some point we have all found ourselves and/or our kids rushing out the door without eating and heading into our day without a fueling plan. It’s not unusual for our kids to head to school, work, practice or a game without a fueling plan. It’s hard to know what to eat or feed our kid that is healthy, tasty and provides them or us with the right kind of fuel. This recipe will help solve that problem. These banana oatmeal energy bars are crazy tasty and get better after they sit for a day or two in the refrigerator. Stash them in snack-sized ziplock bags in your freezer so you or your kids can just grab one (or two) and head out the door. Re-fuel smart!

INGREDIENTS:

· 3 large, ripe bananas, mashed.

· 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats.

· 1 cup creamy all-natural peanut butter.

· 1 cup walnuts, chopped.

· ½ cup mini chocolate chips.

· 1 tsp vanilla.

· 1 tsp cinnamon.

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a ¼ sheet pan. I lined the sheet pan with parchment paper first, then lightly sprayed the parchment with olive oil cooking spray.

· Stir all of the ingredients together, combining well and creating a nice thick batter.

· Transfer the batter to the prepared sheet pan and pat down until it’s pushed into the corners, along the sides and even across the top.

· Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until they are fragrant, lightly browned on top and set through.

· Cool completely. Slice into 16 bars by making 1 vertical slice and 7 horizontal ones.

· Stack the bars in an airtight container with parchment paper in between so they don’t stick. They’ll keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator, and several months in the freezer.