It’s been an interesting time with February rolling in, here in Stuttgart, the weather always leaves you wondering what will come next.  For instance, take last Sunday, I was sitting here in my living room, look outside and there are nice fat snowflakes.  I should probably mention a few days before if I wanted, a nice light jacket could’ve been worn.  That’s just the weather you come to expect here.  Can’t say I’ll ever get used to it, but it’s not something that going to stop me from really being active.  I mean it’s just a little random weather, right?

Other than the random flurries along with the seesaw of temperatures, an excellent bright side is the fact it’s staying brighter a little while longer.  Everyone knows what that means?  Cold temperatures are leaving, and longer days are on the horizon.  However, we still have some colder days coming, which means you will probably want something that’s going to warm you up.  Carrot and banana bars anyone?

These bars have a lot going for them.  They are gluten-free and vegetarian, not to mention they have all of those good things, we all love.  One of those flavors being peanut butter.  Now you have a peanut allergy, then you can definitely sub it out with another nut/seed butter without a problem.  Now this recipe uses a fun technique, but you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.  If you have a spiralizer, get it out and spiralize those carrots!  You will want to make sure you are cutting the carrots here or there.  Long strands of carrots look cool but can be a little problematic, when eating, or that might just be me.

If you don’t have a spiralizer, don’t worry, just get out the box grater, a shredder or whatever, and get at it that way.  Lastly, you have honey as a sweetener, but no other refined sweetener, that’s right none of that white sugar, which means these bars are good for you all the way around.  Eat them for breakfast, as a snack, or even dessert.  You name it, it’ll work great for it.

Give these bars a try, you won’t be sorry that you did!

Carrot and Banana Bars (adapted from Spiralize Everyday)

Prep Time: 30 Minutes             Cooking Time: 25-30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 4 Tablespoons peanut butter (smooth or crunchy are fine)
• 2 medium to large carrots (
• 3 overripe bananas
• 1 Cup (7 oz / 200 g) Raisins
• 3 1/2 Cups (10 oz / 300 g) Gluten-free Rolled Oats

Cooking Method

Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C).  Prepare an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 cm) square baking pan with either aluminum foil or parchment paper, set aside.

Place honey, peanut butter, and coconut oil in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring until mixture is completely melted.

Meanwhile, if using a spiralizer, with a spaghetti size blade (1/8 inch, 3 mm), and spiralize the carrots.  While spiralizing, roughly cut any really long spirals in half with scissors or knife.  Alternately, grate carrots into a bowl or on a plate.

In a large bowl, place bananas and mash with a fork.  Once complete, stir in carrots, raisins, and oats.  Pour peanut butter mixture over ingredients and combine.

Spoon combined mixture into prepared pan and flatten with the back of a spoon.  Bake in a preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes (depending on your oven), until golden brown and set.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan.  Once cool enough to remove from pan, slice into desired bar sizes.  This can vary from 10 to 12 slices.

For short-term storage, place in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days. For long-term storage, wrap individually and store in the refrigerator for a week.  They can also be wrapped and stored in the freezer, thaw in the refrigerator, then heat for about 30 seconds, and enjoy.

Yield: 10 to 12 servings