Pumpkin Protein Bars

Here is my favorite mid-morning snack!  They are perfect with a cup of coffee and are much healthier than a muffin or banana bread!  If you have a sweet tooth, it might not be your cup of tea but your microbiome will thank you!  I found the original recipe on www.bodybuilder.com and tweaked it to make my own version.  I make a pan of these almost every week, cut them up and store in the freezer so I can pull a couple out to take with me every day! My kids love them, too!  Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ cup coconut palm sugar

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 organic farm eggs (or 1/2 cup applesauce for egg free)

2 ½ cups ground oats

¼ cup ground flax seed

2 tsp. cinnamon

½ tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin (or 3 ripe mashed bananas)

½ cup almond milk

½ cup walnuts (optional)

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first three ingredients in mixing bowl. Add eggs & pumpkin until well mixed. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add dry ingredients & milk to wet mixture until well blended. Pour into 9 x 13 pan greased with coconut oil. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 24 squares. Approximately 70 calories each.