There’s something about an early morning flight that makes me crave comfort food. Not airport food. Actual comfort food. The kind that keeps you full, gives you energy, and doesn’t leave you crashing halfway through your travel day while wandering around Terminal B looking for an overpriced yogurt parfait.
For years, I grabbed protein bars at the airport thinking I was making the healthy choice. And honestly, some of them aren’t terrible. But eventually I started reading the ingredient labels and realized half of them tasted like chocolate candy bars which are way too sweet for me. That’s exactly why I started making these coconut and sesame seed protein bars.
They’ve become one of my favorite travel rituals before an early flight or road trip. I’ll make a batch the night before, cut them into squares, and tuck a couple into my carry-on or cooler bag. Suddenly I’m not stressed about finding protein on the road or settling for gas station snacks that leave me feeling sluggish an hour later.
The best part is how flexible they are. I’ve made them with chopped dates when I wanted extra sweetness, raisins when I was cleaning out the pantry, and different nuts depending on what I had on hand.
Coconut and Sesame Seed Protein Bars
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 3/4 cup almond butter
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup ground flax seed
- 3/4 cup chocolate protein powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/4 cup almonds toasted
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300.
- Mix oats, almond butter, banana, maple syrup, salt, flax seed, protein powder and extract in a medium bowl.
- Fold in coconut, almonds and sesame seeds until combined. The mix should be soft (like a pasta dough), not dry. If it’s dry, add water or maple syrup. If it’s too wet, add more oats or flaxseed.
- Press very firmly into an 8×8 inch pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 300 for 30 minutes. Let cool, and enjoy!
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