I’ve always been a lover of a good old energy bar…. I looked forward to them as my afternoon snack. Yet, as I began to become more aware of ingredients in products, I started to back off of those tasty morsels and opt for whole ingredient snacks (some carrots and hummus….grapes…. banana + peanut butter…) instead. Lately though, a part of me has started to miss them. So, when I started making this pumpkin bar recipe this season, I got to thinking. I figured that with a few swaps, I could modify the recipe to make it more snack friendly (while still keeping it gluten free/dairy free). Something I could nibble on to get me through the afternoon until dinner (I get hungry during this hour…. anyone else??).

On Monday, I got to experimenting… and tasting (one of my favorite parts of baking…). Harper was getting a little fussy, so I picked her up and gave her a little spoonful of the creamy mixture I had concocted. She loved it…the smile on her face and the open mouth begging for more said it all. I had read about the benefits of collagen for little tikes too (i.e. sealing the gut, bone healthy, better sleep) so I figured this mixture was probably pretty darn good for her… and I had been wanting to introduce nut butters to her as well…

Before I had Harper, I promised myself that I would make all of her food. It was one of those things that, as a non-mom, I couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t. Yet, as life got busy and she moved to more complex pureés, I started to realize that I wasn’t going to be able to do that all the time. Which is exactly why I love this recipe. While I’m whipping up a batch for TJ and me, I can simply leave out a few ingredients, set a bowlful aside, and I have a few meals for little miss as well. Although…. little miss certainly had sticky hands for the solid version…. which she was able to gum and swallow easily (I made sure to give her a piece with out the whole nuts). Overall, it’s a win-win… kill-two-birds-with-one-stone… situation… the kind I can easily be down with. Oh, and she loves this blend so much, I’m for sure bringing it on the airplane with us next week…. any little treat to keep the screams at bay.

Pumpkin Energy Bites:

1 cup steel cut oats (I prefer Trader Joe’s)
3/4 cup creamy almond butter
2 tbsp agave nectar (although I tried it without and it was just as good so I will likely leave out of the next batch)
1/2 cup pumpkin pureé (not pumpkin pie mixture)
1 smashed overly ripe banana
1 scoop chocolate collagen protein (benefits here)
1 tbsp cinnamon
dash of salt
pumpkin seeds to your liking

Pre-heat oven to 325. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and use a small ice cream scooper to form small balls with the mixture. I got about 12 bites when I was finished. Toss in oven and bake between 15-20 minutes.

Baby Pumpkin Pureé: 

1/2 smashed ripe banana
1 spoonful pumpkin purée (see above)
1 spoonful almond butter (see above)
dash of cinnamon
1/2 spoonful collagen protein (see above)

Mix all the ingredients together and it’s ready to go

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{Post Details || Tank | Harper’s Bib | Bowl | Spoon}