Energy bars - pre workout food

So the birth of this recipe is purely situational, where there started a need for pre workout food, as my workout schedules are totally changed. Now a days I am having a late workout, as my office shift is afternoon till 10 and I would be so lazy to get out of bed.

I could feel that I was starving during exercise and the old energy to do was missing. Breakfast is the important part of daily meal and I m like almost skipping it, as the first meal goes to my tummy around start of early noon. So I decided to find out some light meals that I can have before the workout. So the thought started on what can be the best food... I recollected having a breakfast bar from Etihad airways which calls itself an energy bar having less calories, I got it in their low fat meal plan. I m not pretty sure on all ingredients, but could guess some like sesame seeds and dates syrup.

So it's deal now! I m going to make my own energy bar, which would be as good as a normal breakfast and good thing is I would know the quality of items and a ballpark of the calories too :P

The one I made is way different from what I had before, but I promise you, it is one of the healthy stuffs which you won't be able to stop in just one piece.

And you can see from my ingredients list, isn't it a complete food?

There you go guys with the recipe; cook healthy, eat healthy, be healthy slogan is on !

Side note : of course once in a while eat junky :P

Ingredients:

Oats - 1 cup

Flax seed powder - 1/2 cup
Dates - 1 1/2 cup
Water - 1 1/2 cup
Sesame seeds - 1/2 cup

Honey - 1 tbsp

Method:

Soak pitted dates in water overnight. 

Cook the dates until soft and mushy. Keep aside.

In a non stick pan, dry toast oats, sesame first. Then add flax seeds mid way, like after 5 mins of dry roasting oats and sesame. Make sure your temperature is in medium low. Toast for 5 more mins after adding flax seed powder. Now add the dates crush to it and mix well. Add honey and combine. The mixture should come together. Sprinkle water if mix is too dry. 

In a square or rectangular tin spread the mixture, 2 cm thick and level. Cut into squares and allow to set. Have the energy squares whenever you want.

Notes:

You can add Coconut and Jaggery as well. I wanted to keep it calorie less and hence didn't add.

This has a shelf life is 1 week when kept outside and 2 to 3 weeks in refrigerator.