I can't call these "bars", since I baked them in a muffin tin, in order to cut out a few steps, and I can't call them "bites" since they are much bigger than just a bite, and I can't call them "muffins", because even though I did bake them in a muffin tin, they are not. Muffins, that is. So rounds it is.
I was at the doctor today, and I asked her when postpartum hair loss is supposed to stop. Her vague-ish answer was, "Six weeks. Sometimes 12. Maybe later. Eventually. Don't worry; you have a lot; you won't be bald." Captain Subtext translates that into, "Normally, somewhere between six and 12 weeks, but this doesn't apply to you. Nothing applies to you since you are the hugest medical anomaly I've ever seen." Anyway, she also told me that adding more protein to my diet would help, so I set out to invent something that packs a huge protein punch in a small, quick to grab, easy to eat package. It wouldn't hurt if it gave me a boost of energy, as well, and an even bigger plus would be if it would help boost milk supply. I don't ask for much, do I?
Anyway, I came up with these ... rounds, which were initially supposed to be bars. The nuts, nut butter, seeds, and quinoa have a crapton of protein. Yes, crapton is indeed a scientific measurement. Look it up. The bananas and the wheat germ are both chock full of potassium, and aside from giving quick energy, potassium is amazingly good for you.
You can customize this recipe a bazillion different ways, according to your taste. You can use whatever nuts you would like, alone or in combination. I used almonds, walnuts, and pecans. You can vary your dried fruit (and if you haven't already, read about why you should dehydrate it yourself). I used cherries, blueberries, cranberries, and dates. I almost went tropical and used pineapple, banana, and mango, as I had all of those on hand as well. Next time... You can also choose whatever nut or seed butter you most prefer. I used unsweetened natural almond butter. Usually I make my own, but I just didn't have time this time. I did, however, use MaraNatha brand, and their only ingredient is raw almonds. Even many of the natural nut butters add some oil, so I'm pretty fond of MaraNatha. I considered using Sunbutter or Tahini. You can also use the seed of your choice. I used sunflower, because that's what I had, but pumpkin or sesame would work just as well.
So now I've got nuts and nut butter and quinoa for protein, tons of potassium for energy and other good things, fruit for a burst of natural sweetness, and oats for a lactation boost. Now, these are not low fat. Nuts are quite caloric and have a high fat content. However, those fats are the good fats. They help lower bad cholesterol. They have lots of protein, fiber, and healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants. Eating an ounce of nuts a day can help lower your risk of heart disease. So while these aren't necessarily low fat, they are quite good for you.
Because there is no added sugar, these aren't sweet and cakey like muffins. They also aren't sweet and salty and crunchy like granola bars. If you're looking for sweet, then you need to move on. They are dense and gooey and pack a hell of a nutritional punch.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup nut or seed butter
- 2 very ripe mashed bananas
- 1/2 cup whole nuts
- 1 1/2 cup dried fruits
- 1 cup rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind!)
- 2 TBSP wheat germ
- 1/8 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Liberal pinch cinnamon
- 1/4 cups seeds
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Coarsely chop nuts and dried fruit in food processor. Be careful and pay attention, because you don't want to make it a gooey paste. You just want it chopped up into big pieces, like so:
3. Mix nut butter and bananas until thick and paste like.
4. Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
5. Spoon into a lightly sprayed muffin tin. And by lightly sprayed, I mean spray the hell out of it, or they'll stick!
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. These must be stored in the refrigerator.
Enjoy!
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