Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread Breakfast Bars are a delicious yet sneaky way to get more veggies in! With only 120 calories, they are refined sugar free, vegan and gluten free. Perfect start to your day or for a pick me up!
Now that fall has rolled in, I am wondering how long this fall weather will actually stick around? Mother Nature apparently forgot the memo that boot, leggings and chucky sweater season has arrived.
Living in KC means that we have a very short window for both spring and fall. As in roughly 10 days. Not kidding. Spring this year was beautiful. We lived up those 10 days before summer came crashing down on us and melted all my make up off while walking to get the mail. And sadly, that awful, humid weather is still making an appearance. Summer, you may leave us now. Please and thank you.
One aspect of summer I will miss is all the fresh produce. Going to the farmer marker on Saturday mornings filled our menu with spontaneous dinner creations. For example, my favorite quick dinner fix, 15 minute healthy chicken teriyaki! More than likely I have all the items in my pantry so ‘every man for themselves’ type dinner isn’t needed. While those types of dinner are perfect for when we need to clean out the fridge, I prefer to at least have a plate loaded with veggies!
These Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread Breakfast Bars come in handy when those days roll around that I loathe the thought of eating one more piece of roasted broccoli! I am one of those lucky ones that could devour a plate of roasted veggies. Give me a side of hummus and I am happy gal. Oh wait, with a glass of pinot grigio! Now, I am one happy gal. But for those days I manage to make every meal oatmeal or cereal, these bars are my saving grace!
Zucchini was a staple in house from May to September. The possibilities are endless; zoodles, ribbons or as lasagna, I’ll take em all! Zucchini is vitamin and nutrient packed so it makes an ideal substitute for carb loaded dishes. It is also lends quite a bit of moisture to baked goods, making it ideal for breads, muffins, and these peanut butter zucchini bread breakfast bars! But in all reality, they are usually my go to snack as they cure my sweet tooth and are quite filling!
I am not going to sugar coat this…these zucchini banana bread bars are hard to mess up. I have made a version of these bars for a good year. I have tweeked and retweeked this recipe. And coming for a chick that has a hard time baking, you can practically add just about anything and they will turn out! Want to use oat flour, instead of oats? Done. Only have 1 banana? Add applesauce instead! The end result will be so darn close you will be glad you experimented with the recipe!
I love the fact that these bars are wholesome, egg free so I don’t feel crummy hours later and filled with protein thanks to the peanut flour! I recently came across BetterBody Foods peanut flour (not sponsored, just love it)! It is sweetened with coconut sugar rather than cane sugar, which is ideal for us! For these bars, the peanut flour adds protein, which helps keep us full, the oats add fiber and more staying power. If you were looking for a way to make zucchini bread healthy, look no further. The only thing that I haven’t done yet, is to make chocolate chip zucchini bread. I am thinking next experiment?
Items I used to make these bars:
Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread Breakfast Bars are a delicious yet sneaky way to get more veggies in! Filled with oats, peanut flour, fresh zucchini, bananas and lots of cinnamon, they are refined
10 minPrep Time
30 minCook Time
40 minTotal Time
Yields 9
Save RecipeIngredients
- Bars:
- 2 medium very ripe bananas, mashed (almost 1 cup)
- 1 cup grated/shredded zucchini (liquid squeezed out)
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup (4 tablespoons if bananas not very ripe)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup peanut flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Optional Peanut Butter Frosting:
- 1/2 cup peanut flour
- 1/4-1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Bars: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the zucchini, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Add the oats, peanut flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Spread mixture evenly into prepared baking dish.
- Place in preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. If you like your bars more done, cook for 30 minutes. If you prefer them softer, bake closer to 25 minutes.
- Remove bars from oven and let cool completely. Cut into 9 squares.
- Optional Peanut Butter Frosting: In a small bowl, add the peanut flour. Slowly add the water, starting with 1/4 cup. Mix until frosting like texture is achieved. You may need to add more water, depending on how thick you like it. Drizzle over bars or place in a piping bag and drizzle on each bar.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to one week.
Hungry for more healthy breakfast ideas?
Pumpkin Pancakes with Coconut Maple Syrup
Almond Butter & Coconut Latte Overnight Oats
Dark Chocolate and Toasted Coconut Smoothie Bowl
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