I’m NOT a gym bunny.  But I am on my feet for quite long hours each day and most mornings it’s just a smoothie that gets me from breakfast to lunch – and some kind of protein snack.  I’m also not one for the pre-bought in a packet protein bars or balls.  In all honesty I find them either too sweet or too bland.  And some are so chewy my jaw hurts after eating it!  Pre-made protein bars are great if you’re in a pinch – many have only all natural ingredients and are often from small manufacturers just trying to make their way in the world.

But if you have some time and a mixing bowl I definitely recommend making your own – there’s very little as good as home-made!

AND you can vary it to your heart’s content.  Don’t like goji berries?  Sub with any other dried fruit.  Like coconut?  Chuck in a couple of spoons of dessicated coconut or even coconut chips.  Feel free to use whichever nut butter you prefer or have to hand – I’ve tried peanut and almond and they both tasted great!

In the recipe I’ve also used 1 + 1/2 cup oats.  I grind up one cup and leave 1/2 cup intact as this gives a lovely texture while the ground oats help bind everything together and provide ‘body’ to the bars in their special gluten free way ?

A small point to note is that not all oats are gluten free.  Under normal circumstances non-contaminated, pure oats ARE gluten-free and are safe for most people with gluten-intolerance.  The main problem with oats in gluten-free eating is contamination. Most commercial oats are processed in facilities that also process wheat, barley, and rye.  So if you are gluten intolerant be sure to check the labels.

One thing I wouldn’t recommend changing is the Sweet Freedom Caramel Chocolate Shake.  There are two flavours of their chocolate shakes – banana and caramel.  And they both come in a very handy squeezy bottle to be used in anything from simply drizzling over pancakes, naturally sweetening darling little mini banoffee pies, adding to your breakfast parfait or even giving some extra sweet oomph to your morning baked oats.  I genuinely LOVE this stuff.  And like ALL of Sweet Freedoms products (and their range is always growing .. YUM!) they are made with no chemical processing, no additives, no preservatives, just fruit sweetness.

The beauty of this mixture is that it can be made into both bars AND balls.  It’s soft enough to shape into pop in the mouth bites and firm enough after refrigerating to cut into neat little bars.  Or big bars.  No judgement.

I also recommend these wonderful Bliss Balls – just 5 ingredients and no refined sugars.  Healthy doesn’t have to be complicated or bland!

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