Oatmeal Protein Bars

I’m headed to NY this weekend for some girl time – yay! Since I never quite know where my next meal is coming from on trips like this, I like to pack snacks. In the past I used to truck off to Whole Foods and purchase some overpriced snack bars. Well, no more my friends. It is far too easy to throw together a nutritious, yummy and filling bar yourself. These are just sweet enough, nice and fluffy, and really satisfying.  Simply wrap them in some foil, throw them in your bag and you’re good to go.

A couple of notes: For a little added crunch factor, I topped these bars with some leftover raisin bran crumbs, found at the bottom of a near empty bag. If you don’t have any, simply omit it. I also used vanilla protein powder (I use Whole Foods brand whey protein). If you don’t have any, substitute the 1/4 cup for 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour.

Oatmeal Protein Bars

Ingredients
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 mashed banana
1 egg
1 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. milk (or water)
1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (I use whey)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 cups oatmeal
1/2 cup raisins (some nuts would be good too – I just didn’t have any)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
about 1/3 cup crumbled cereal (like raisin bran or fiber one)

1.) Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 8″ inch square glass baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2.) Combine sugar, honey, yogurt, banana, egg, oil and milk until smooth.
3.) Stir in dry ingredients (except for cereal). Fold in raisins.
4.) Pour mixture into the baking pan. Sprinkle the top with the crumbled cereal.
5.) Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
6.) Allow to cool then slice into 9 squares. If you’re traveling, wrap the squares in foil. I keep them in the fridge until I’m ready to hit the road just to keep them fresh.