Winding down after the hectic-ness.. Date and oat bars

This is me taking control again after a hectic winter/spring. Working crazy hours, being a mum and training/competing in my new found sport of rowing meant researching and trying out new recipes was near impossible.

Rowing however kept me sane and i have to admit i love how i feel and look. However we are on a wee break from training for a couple of weeks and already i feel bleugh. While training i got away with eating lots and lots all the time burning off easily. Now however im not so lucky, so i stumbled across these date and oat bars and i made them with a mix of buckwheat and gluten free oat flakes and they hit the spot nicely. They take minutes to prepare and keep for up to a week in an airtight container.

Date and Oat bars
Makes 20 bars

200g Buckwheat flakes
200g Gluten free oats
400g Dates (Medjool dates work best)
300mls water
200g rasins (i used a mix of raisins, sultanas, dried blueberries)
100g sunflower seeds
3 tablespoons coconut oil
4 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 16 tablespoons cold water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius

Begin by soaking the chia seeds in the 16 tablespoons of cold water and allow to sit to form a gel.

In a small saucepan gently heat the dates with the coconut oil, once the oil was melted i turned the heat off and placed the lid on the saucepan and allowed them to soften gently.

In a mixing bowl mix together the oats, raisin mix, sunflower seeds and cinnamon.

Once the dates have softened nicely blitz in a mixer/blitzer with the 300mls water. pour this into the oat mix along with the gelatinous chia seeds and mix together well, roll up the sleeves and get your hands stuck in there.

Line a 6x9 inch baking tray with parchment paper and evenly spread the mixture out.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Once out of the oven gently mark out the bars with a knife and allow to cool, this will make them easier to portion once cool.