Peanut Butter Granola Bars | Low Calorie Recipe

As anyone who follows my Instagram or Twitter will probably have noticed, 2013 for me has, so far, been a complete and utter health kick. I've seriously cleaned up my 'diet' (I do hate that word...), and have been attempting to 'eat clean' for at least 80% of my time, and so far, it's going pretty well.
The only downside? Well, being a student, I'm not exactly made of money - and whilst I am starting to fall in love with both the ginger bread and banana bread varieties of Nakd bars (after a slightly rocky start - I really don't recommend any of the 'chocolate' flavours...), they're far from cheap to keep on hand as a regular snack, and I started brainstorming one or two clean, homemade snack ideas of my own to fill the void.

These peanut butter oat granola bars work out at around 18p each if you use the brands I've suggested (cheaper if you don't mind them not being 100% 'clean'), and make the perfect accompaniment to your mid-morning cup of coffee (or tea, if you're going one better than me and cutting back on caffeine!) - satisfying, slightly sweet, and guilt-free, with only 148 calories, 14g carbs, 8g fat (the good kind!) and 5g of protein per bar*.

I used Waitrose's 'Essential' wholenut peanut butter for this recipe, as a lot of regular supermarket varieties tend to use sugar/flavourings/preservatives, and I generally prefer this 'nuttier' tasting one. It's nowhere near as sweet as conventional peanut butter, so I'd recommend trying some on its own before using it for a recipe! I also recommend Flahavan's Irish porridge oats, which are 100% wholegrain, and Waitrose pure clear squeezy honey for this recipe, but obviously, if you can't get hold of these brands/already have some in your house you'd like to use up etc, then just make sure you change the nutritional information accordingly, especially if you're counting calories!

They're delicious, satisfying, and a much healthier option than most store-bought granola/snack bars, and so so simple to whip up. Personally, I store them for about two weeks in an air tight container, and throw one into a food bag if I know I'm going to be out for the day - yum! 

Peanut Butter Oat Granola Bars:
Makes 16 bars.
Ingredients:

• 80g oats
• 169g honey
• 258g peanut butter
• 1tbsp Truvia (or whichever no-calorie sweetener you prefer)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 170°.
2. Spread the oats evenly onto a large baking tray, and place in the oven to toast for 10 minutes. Whilst they're toasting, measure out the peanut butter and honey into a bowl.
3. As soon as the oats are toasted, pour them (whilst hot!) into the bowl with the peanut butter and honey. The heat will help the ingredients loosen up a little, making it easier to combine them. Add the Truvia and cinnamon.
4. When the ingredients are combined, spoon the mixture into a brownie tin (I use these disposable ones for convenience), and spread it out evenly.
5. Bake the mixture for about 12-15 minutes, or until it's just starting to brown - they might appear to be a little soft in the middle, but they'll harden as they cool. 
6. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then cut them into 16 bars, before leaving to cool completely. They can be stored for around 2 weeks in an airtight container.

Calories: 148 | Carbs: 14g | Fat: 8g | Protein: 5g*

* Calorie and nutritional information calculated using the MyFitnessPal Recipe Calculator, and using the specific brands mentioned above.