These Trail Mix Bars Will Be Your New Portable Breakfast

*Courtesy of Running On Veggies

Whenever I buy cereal I always look out for two things—that there is no added sugar and no corn (unless organic). With those two things in mind, it pretty much eliminates all cereal options. But I am left with a couple of good finds! I usually only buy cereal to put on top of my smoothie or to bake my Protein Bars but I have to admit I do love that good crunch.

The cereals I usually buy are all puffed grains such as brown rice, millet or kamut. Puffed grains are not as nutritious as cooked grains but they are low in calorie so it won’t hurt your diet too much. Having cereal in moderation is totally okay! It goes a long way when I need crunch on top of my smoothie but don’t want to add a ton of nuts to it.

Recently, shredded wheat caught my eye. It offers that exact crunch I was looking for. I found Barbara’s Shredded Wheat Cereal which contains only 100% whole wheat. That’s the only ingredient! To my surprise, it also has 4 grams of protein per serving!

I have found that some of the recipes that get the most “hits” are the portable breakfast foods. Everyone is always in a rush in the morning and looking for something to grab on the go. Portable breakfast food always doubles as a great snack idea. No wonder everyone likes breakfast bars.

Trail Mix Breakfast Bars

• 1/2 cup almond flour (You can do this yourself by grinding almonds finely into a flour.)
• 1/4 cup maca powder*
• 1 cup grated apples (Around 2 medium sized apples)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (You can use any nuts you like here)
• 1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped (You can use any nuts you like here)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup nut milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 4 shredded wheat biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. In a large mixing bowl combine almond flour, maca powder, apples, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, baking powder and  cinnamon

3. Combine nut milk, coconut oil and almond butter in a small bowl.

4. Combine add nut milk, coconut oil and almond butter into large mixing bowl of dry ingredients until evenly combined.

4. Crumble up your shredded wheat and fold it in to mix.

5. Spread mixture evenly into either a 8×10 or 9×9 pan lined with parchment paper and non stick spray.

6. Cook for around 30-35 minutes.

7. Let cool for at least 60 minutes. Then cut into bars. They are very delicate so I like to cut them freeze them on a tray before cutting. Then store them in a ziplock to eat throughout the week.

*I used maca powder here because it gives it a nutty flavor. It is also a great pre-workout snack, providing you with a lot of energy. You can omit the maca and use almond flour, ground flaxseeds or protein powder in its place.