These Anti-Inflammatory Honey Nut Bars Are the Protein-Rich Breakfast Made for Those On-the-Go

As a nutrition coach and Barry's Bootcamp instructor, Sashah Handal's mornings are pretty crazed. Even if you aren't starting your day by teaching one of the most intense workout classes in New York City, chances are your mornings are busy too. Dog walking, school drop-offs, morning meetings...Unless you wake up while it's still dark out, there's a good chance your morning is going to be hectic.

That's exactly when breakfast bars can come in handy. Sometimes, you just need a morning meal you can eat with one hand on the go—and you definitely can't do that with a plate of scrambled eggs or bowl of oatmeal. It's mornings like these when Handal reaches for a homemade honey nut breakfast bar, and she's sharing her personal recipe in the latest episode of Alt-Baking Bootcamp.

In true Alt-Baking Bootcamp fashion, these honey nut breakfast bars are gluten-free and dairy-free. They're also full of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and inflammation-fighting spices. Talk about a power breakfast, right? The protein and healthy fats come from a whole slew of different nuts including walnuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Nuts are also high in fiber and the oats in this recipe ups it even more.

Another core ingredient in these bars is tahini, which balances out the sweetness of the sugar and honey while upping the amount of brain-supporting healthy fats. Handal also adds cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom straight into the batter. This trio gives the bars a warming flavor that pairs perfectly with the tahini. They're also all linked to helping fight inflammation. "I like the warmth and the heat that comes from cinnamon and ginger, that's why I've added tons of that into these [bars]," Handal says. The last ingredients Handal adds into the mix are dried cranberries and dates, both of which add sweetness and help cut down on the amount of white sugar used in the recipe. "Raisins or cherries will also work in this recipe," Handal says.

In the episode, Handal shows exactly how to transform the handful of ingredients into delicious, nutrient-packed bars. "It's so spicy, cinnamon-y, crunchy, soft, sweet, and literally all my tastebuds are being awakened," Handal says while enjoying her freshly-made bars. No matter where your morning is taking you and what's in store for the hours that follow, having these bars on hand can get you off to a pretty stellar start. They're so good, you just might want to pack an extra one to enjoy later too.

Honey nut breakfast bars recipe

Ingredients
1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped pistachios
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1 cup oats
1/2 cup processed oats
1/4 cup tahini
1 flax egg
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Pink of salt

1. Use an electric mixer to cream the vegan butter and sugar. After the texture is nice and fluffy (roughly after three minutes of mixing), add the tahini, honey, and flax egg.

2. Add the dry ingredients to the batter. Mix them all together. Put the bowl with the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes.

3. Pour the batter into a loaf pan. Bake it in the oven at 375°F for 20 minutes, rotating it halfway through. Once it's done baking, let it cool and put it back in the fridge for 30 more minutes.

4. Take the loaf pan out of the fridge and use a knife to cut the loaf into bars. Enjoy!

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