Nutritious snacks to help boost mental and physical energy are a must for kids and adults on the go. Although many processed and packaged snack options are often high in kilojoules/calories and saturated fats, contain added sugars and are often low in whole grains and fibre so you wont be satisfied for long. Even many muesli bars that are often thought of as ‘healthier’ options provide little nutritional value and are high in kilojoules, making them better positioned as confectionary rather than a healthy snack.

This homemade fruit and seed muesli bar is delicious, sweet from real fruit and jam packed full of nutrients from carrots, apples, bananas, oats, seeds and the healthy fat, extra virgin olive oil. The sustained and slow release energy provided from the oats and healthy fats will help keep you focused and alert between meals. This is a great benefit compared to highly sweetened, processed and packaged snacks that may give you a quick burst of motivation and energy but the effects will be short lived. You know that feeling where you are dissatisfied, tired and looking for your next pick me up – not the energy rollercoaster you want to be riding everyday.

This oat and seed bar also contains carrots so you can reap the benefits of including vegetables into your snacks making it easier to consume your recommended intake of vegetables each day. These oat and seed energy bars are nut free making them a good choice for kids lunchboxes or for those with a nut allergy.

Dietary Suitability of Fruit and Seed Muesli Bars

Fruit and Seed Muesli Bars Food As Medicine

✓ Oats

Oats are great at keeping us satisfied thanks to their good combination of protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals and a special type of soluble fibre called beta-glucan (β-glucan). Research has also shown a number of benefits when including oats in the diet including lowering cholesterol, helping to regulate glucose in type 2 diabetes and protecting against colon cancer (1).

Oats have also been shown to have a beneficial affect on gut health. We understand that the β-glucans in oats can alter our gut microbiota by increasing short-chain fatty acid production (2). These short-chain fatty acids are necessary for feeding our colon cells, regulating the pH, supporting mineral absorption and reducing inflammation. This is all important stuff when it comes to wanting to maintaining healthy metabolism, weight management and mental health.

✓ Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and healthy unsaturated fats including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. This means they can help you feel satisfied for longer. For such little seeds, pumpkin seeds also provide a great source of vitamin E, magnesium, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, phosphorus, iron and calcium (3).

A 1/4 cup serving of pumpkin seeds provides 184mg of magnesium, providing over half our recommended daily intake of magnesium. Magnesium is needed for heart and nerve health making it an important one for those of us struggling with stress and looking to support our nervous system and stress response and get a good night’s sleep (4).

✓ Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are a good source of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids that we need for heart health. Combine these fats with the protein and fibre that sunflower seeds provide and you have a winning combination for taking care of hunger, maintaining satiety and having a favourable affect on blood sugar regulation (5).

Sunflower seeds are also high in vitamin E that have an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant role in the body. Antioxidants are important for taking care of free radicals that can be problematic as they can cause damage to cell membranes, tissues and brain cells leading to a range of diseases, symptoms and ageing. So the vitamin E in sunflower seeds when eaten as part of a healthy diet may just help to take care of those free radicals and slow those extra wrinkles from popping up so quickly (5).

Fruit and Seed Muesli Bars

Author: alanakrahe
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 15 bars 1x

Print Recipe

Description

This homemade fruit and seed muesli bar is delicious, sweet and jam packed full of nutrients from carrots, apples, bananas, oats, seeds and the healthy fat, extra virgin olive oil. The sustained and slow release energy provided from the oats and healthy fats will help keep you focused and alert between meals.

Ingredients

Scale

2 bananas, peeled and mashed
2 carrots, grated
2 large apples, grated
3 cups of oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla paste or extract
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds
Optional: 1/4 cup of raisins – see notes
Optional: 1/4 cup of sweetener like maple syrup or honey – see notes

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 160°C.
Combine the banana, vanilla paste, cinnamon and extra virgin olive oil in a mixing bowl.
Add the oats, carrot, apple, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and mix well to combine.
Flatten the mixture out onto a baking tray.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Slice into bars straight from the oven while the slice is still warm and then leave to cool.
Once cooled you should be left with slightly soft muesli bars great for lunchboxes or snacks. If you prefer a harder texture you can store in the fridge but I think these are best a little soft in texture.

Notes

This base mixture is pretty versatile and can be adapted to suit different palates. If you prefer your muesli bars a little sweeter you can add 1/4 cup of sweetener like maple syrup or honey with an extra 1/3 cup of oats or otherwise 1/4 of a cup of raisins or cranberries. I find the sweetness from the apple and banana gives these bars enough sweetness but if you prefer some additional sweetness, maple syrup, honey, raisins or cranberries can be added.
These are best keep stored in an airtight container on the bench for three days or in the fridge for a week – if they last that long. You can also freeze these for up to three months for lunchbox snacks.

Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 45
Category: Snacks