Blueberry lemon energy bars

Blueberry and lemon—such a serene combination, right? It’s equally energizing, too, it turns out. I can confidently declare, I put these power-packed bites —and myself—to the test to serve as testament.

This past weekend I got to revel in a beautiful day for the Pikes Peak Ascent. Ascending nearly 8000 vertical feet at an average grade of 11%, this iconic half marathon is considered one of the hardest in the world, and holy moly it was tough! It was also so much fun, thanks to stunning scenery, fantastic camaraderie, and steady fuel including these blueberry lemon enjoy bars.

I loved training for this race. Even though I couldn’t get to a high enough elevation, or even higher than our usual 4,700-ish feet here in Longmont often enough, I felt like what I did was solid and thoroughly enjoyable. In the week leading up to the event, everything seemed to go wrong. Grim weather forecasts predicting snow (up to a foot or more), cold, and gusty winds was ongoing tormet, making planning difficult and dread all too easy. I caught an awful cold, too, just in time to make participating questionable. And to top it all off, I started a heavy, crampy, icky perimenopausal period (sorry, TMI, but it was significant) in the middle of the night before the race.

I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night before, by the way. Not a wink. I just lay there with my eyes shut, repeating the word “shavasana” like a desperate mantra, sure I’d eventually drift off. Didn’t happen. Luckily, or not, depending on how you look at it, this has happened before, so I wasn’t too panicked. In fact, it has happened in all three of the most recent “races” I’ve signed up for. Quotes included, because these past several years I’ve gone for races that I think of more as events, joyful challenges all about the experience versus the outcome. I don’t get all worked up and anxious about events like these, supposedly. But I guess the word race is so ingrained as a scary test that my brain just goes into overdrive whether I like it or not. Not helped, I’m sure, by the that I only sign up for official events a few times a year.

But all that miserable buildup aside, I’m happy to say I am just so purely grateful for the day with the mountain...and the near eternal conga line of people, too. I love events like this, where participation feels like such a win from start to finish. Both summit and summiting are a celebration, of the surroundings and the work. I'm in utter awe of the leaders and their incredible record-setting paces ascending such steep grades to 14,000 feet. In all honesty, I really wasn't up for solid food during the long climb. I took in gels, Tailwind, and grapes. But, these easy blueberry lemon energy bars really served me well, both before and after. Not too sweet, easily digestible, real food. You can add all you like--hemp seeds, coconut flakes, psyllium, flax. Just do you, and enjoy!

Versatile easy energy!

Blueberry lemon energy bars

I ½  cup oats
½ Cup almond butter
½ Cup Medjool dates, soaked
1 Tablespoon chia seeds
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 Cup fresh or frozen, defrosted blueberries Preheat the oven to 350 F. Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Blend all ingredients in a food processor until spreadable but still decently chunky. Spread in the prepared pan using a spatula. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Let cool and cut into bars. Enjoy!