As a mom of a toddler, one of the things I am constantly thinking about is if I have enough snacks to get us through our morning and afternoon activities. Who can relate? I usually try to make our own snacks for the week, since it’s pretty difficult to find nutritious snacks for toddlers (but please don’t get me wrong, I definitely fall back on pre-made store snacks every now and then).
These banana oat cookies are a recipe I make about two times a week. They are so quick and easy (a one bowl kinda recipe that I can whip up in less than 20 minutes)!
WHY THIS RECIPE IS NUTRITIONALLY DIFFERENT
Most of the banana oat cookie recipes only include banana (carbohydrate, oatmeal (carbohydrate), and chocolate chips (sugar/carbohydrate). Carbs are NOT bad, in fact, our bodies need them for vital processes. However, too many carbohydrates without any protein or fat will lead to a glucose spike. It also means our bodies will burn through the carbs fast, and we will be hungry witting an hour or two. The last thing I want is my toddler running around on a sugar high right before nap, and then shortly after, finding out he is still hungry.
To balance out the potential glucose spike, I added two ingredients which will up the nutrition:
- Chia seeds – upping the fiber, protein, and omega-3-fatty acids
- Almond or seed butter – adding protein and healthy monounsaturated fat and calories (to help keep your LO full)
5 Ingredient Banana Oat Cookies
makes 10-12 cookies
INGREDIENTS
- 2 bananas
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
- 1-2 tablespoons almond butter (or sunflower seed butter)
- 1 cup whole grain rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Mash the bananas in a medium sized bowl with a fork. Add in vanilla (optional) and almond/sunflower seed butter, stir until well combined.
- Add oats and chia seeds to the batter. Stir until well mixed.
- On a parchment lined baking sheet (or use a silicone baking mat), spoon cookies in about 1-2 tablespoon each. You will get 10-12 cookies depending on the size of the bananas. Use a fork to mash down the batter if needed (picture above)
- Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Let cool before removing from baking sheet. Enjoy!
