This is the autumn remix of one of my most popular recipes. My Blueberry & Raspberry Breakfast Bars have gone down so well that I gave them a seasonal tweak, swapping the raspberries for apple and cinnamon.
They’re soft, slightly chewy, and easy to make ahead, so there’s a healthy breakfast ready in the fridge for busy mornings.
Why they’re a good way to start the day
A nutritious breakfast is a good start for anyone. It can be especially helpful during perimenopause and menopause, when many women find it harder to balance energy, appetite and weight. These bars give you:
A balanced mix: fibre, healthy fats and protein, which together can help keep blood glucose more balanced than a breakfast that’s mostly sugar.
Magnesium: this contributes to a reduction in tiredness and fatigue, and to normal bone and muscle function.
Six plants in one bar: oats, banana, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, blueberries, and apple. All of these count towards the 30 different plants a week I often suggest to support gut health.
How to serve them
Each bar has around 10g protein on its own. To boost the protein, serve one warm with a generous dollop of Greek yoghurt. Around 150g of a high-protein yoghurt takes it to roughly 25g of protein. Try Fage, Yeo Valley Greek Recipe or Coconut Collab’s vegan protein yogurt.
Top with toasted nuts, seeds (hemp seeds are especially good) or a drizzle of nut butter for a little more protein, fibre and healthy fats. Finish with extra berries, apple slices or a sprinkle of cacao nibs.
Ingredients
Makes 6 bars
300g ripe banana (peeled weight)
160g rolled oats
50g toasted pumpkin (or sunflower) seeds* (40g mixed in, 10g for the top)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking powder
75g peanut (or almond) butter
80ml plant milk
2 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
Pinch of salt
90g frozen blueberries (I like organic Pack’d)
75g peeled apple (about 1 small apple), cut into roughly ½cm dice
*Toast the seeds in a dry frying pan for around 6-8 minutes, tossing regularly.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line a 20 x 12cm baking dish.
In a large bowl, mash the banana until fairly smooth (some lumps are fine). Add the oats, 40g of the seeds, the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt, and mix well.
Stir in the nut butter, plant milk and honey.
Gently fold through the blueberries (from frozen) and the chopped apple.
Scrape the mixture into the dish, even out the top and scatter over the remaining 10g of seeds.
Bake for 40 minutes, until golden around the edges and set through the centre.
Cool completely before cutting into 6 bars. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To serve warm, microwave for about 30-45 seconds.