Protein Breakfast Bars
This morning, Leo woke up and asked for toast for breakfast. If you know Leo, you know he’s the only-the-toppings-on-the-pizza, no-bun-on-the-hamburger, only-inside-the-taco kind of kid. He’s not into carbs. When we (at any age) crave something outside our norm, especially in the morning after a night of fasting, it’s an internal sign that our bodies need something. (I preach the same thing about skin, hair, and nails giving us constant signs.) So, for Leo, the not-carb kid, to ask for something like toast, he's probably coming off of the 9 pm Goodpops and/or needing some extra protein and fiber, which totally tracks, since we’re in the throes of summer break and our normal food group management is a little… loose.
So, we got to work on creating something breakfast-y that still satisfied that carb craving and gave him the protein he needed.
These bars are perfect for breakfast, a snack, or a dessert! They give brownie energy if you want to treat them as such. We add a big dollop of Greek yogurt on top with fresh berries.
This recipe can be customized in so many ways.
We use Einkorn flour for extra protein and nutrients, but you can use any flour you want.
We added a big glug of sourdough starter for gut health, but you can leave it out if you don’t have any.
The final ingredient bullet is to just add something “special.” This can be anything you have around that works for your house. Frozen or fresh berries, nuts, chocolate chips, or a mixture of both. The amount in the recipe is pretty loose, too. Add as much or as little as you want! A free pour of frozen blueberries and a handful of mini chocolate chips is what we did.
A note on measurements in most of my personal recipes: You’ll see they are listed in grams and ounces when I can instead of teaspoons, cups, etc. I use a scale instead of measuring spoons and cups to cut down on dirty dishes. If you have a scale, try it! Just put the bowl on the scale and pour right into the mix instead of getting all the cups dirty. If you don’t have a scale, I list the measuring spoon/cup amounts, too.
This notes section feels very Ina Garten…”it’s best to homemake it, but store-bought is fine.”
Protein Breakfast Bars
Makes 24 bars
INGREDIENTS
3 ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ cup (110 g) cottage cheese
⅓ cup (75 g) full-fat Greek Yogurt
½ cup (120 g) sourdough starter
2 T (30 g) whole milk
1 cup (120 g) vanilla protein powder
⅓ cup (73 g) avocado oil (or 5 T melted butter)
1 tsp (4 g) vanilla
1 ⅓ cup (150 g) Einkorn flour
3 T (60 g) blackstrap molasses
1 tsp (6g) baking soda
½ tsp (2g) baking powder
½ tsp (3g) salt
1 tsp (3g) cinnamon
1 cup (150 g) or more of special things like frozen berries, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.
STEPS
Blend everything in a stand mixer, or by hand with a hand mixer.
Pour the mix into a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350.
Let them cool completely before cutting, so that the insides set.
