These bars have been expertly engineered for kickass weight room sessions and big PRs. And they are SO easy to make with only around three minutes of hands-on prep. Just dump everything in a bowl, throw it into a baking dish, smash it down with a spatula, and bake.
There’s quite a bit of sweetness in the binding agent. It isn’t the typical honey or maple syrup, but sweetened condensed milk. It’s a nice vessel for all of the good stuff in here (oats, almonds, flax, etc.) and I think they give these bars a unique, distinctly homemade flavor.
You do need the oats and the condensed milk to make this. If you don’t have some of the other ingredients or want to sub something out, that’s fine.
To be clear – these are NOT diet/ low-carb type bars. These are to power through a training session. They can also give some energy during competition settings when you might not feel like eating anything, but should.
These bars are mainly carbs (yep, the sugary kind, too) with a smidge of protein and a bit of fat. John Meadows (RIP) was one of the first people I heard really advocate for the presence of fat pre-workout, and I do find it to help greatly with focus and sustained energy. If you like to take a bigger protein hit before training and want to add some powder to the mix, you can throw a few scoops in.
Kids love these, too.
PR Bars
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 2 cups oats
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup ground flax seed
- 1/2 cup silvered almonds
- 1/2 cup craisins, raisins, or other dried fruit
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips (white or dark)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Line a baking dish with parchment or foil and spray lightly with oil.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Dump the condensed milk on top and mix well. Pour it all into the baking dish.
- Spray your spatula with a little oil (if needed) and press the bars down flat into the pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Let cool off a bit before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition estimate per bar (1/12 of recipe):
328 calories – 12 fat – 45 carbs – 10 protein