Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars

My breakfast normally consists of oatmeal mixed with brown sugar, raisins, nuts and flax seed plus a tablespoon or so of milk.  When I’m traveling, I like to eat hearty breakfasts in a restaurant, but still want the healthful benefits of my oatmeal breakfast.  Since I always get up around 6 AM and have to wait around for others to wake up and go to breakfast, I bring along snack bars that contain the nutritious ingredients I want plus a few goodies to make them taste really good with a morning cup of coffee.

• Servings: 10
• Print

• 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (Ghirardelli)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup 2% milk
• 1-1/2 cup oats, quick cooking
• 1/2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup flax seed
• ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
• ¼ cup raisins

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips, peanut butter and milk in the microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring and checking each time

Stir in oats, vanilla, flax seed, peanuts and raisins

Press mixture into an 8 x 8 pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Refrigerate for about 30 minutes or until cooled and firm.  Cut into 10 slices.  I like to wrap the slices individually in waxed paper and store them in a covered container in the refrigerator.

With my DietPower software, I did a comparison  of these Snack Bars (based on 10 servings) and my big bowl of enhanced oatmeal:

Oatmeal:  246 calories, 13.1 g fat, 31 g carbs, 8.7 g fiber, 9.4 g protein

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Breakfast Bars:  204 calories, 12.4 g fat, 20.0 g carbs, 3.0 g fiber, 6.1 g protein

Weight Watchers based on 10 servings:  6 points per bar

The breakfast bars are lower in calories, fat, and carbs, but also lower in fiber and protein.   I feel they are still a good substitute for traveling.  For hot weather traveling, keep the container of bars in a cooler.