Granola Bar Recepie

Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars

I’m already starting to think about how I will fuel myself (quickly) after the little bambino arrives this fall. I’m not one who functions well with long periods between meals, so planning in advance is going to be my best ally. The healthier and more balanced, the better I‘m sure I’ll feel. Bring on the healthy, hippie foods, I say! In addition to freezer friendly meals – like veggie burgers and balls, chili, soup, falafel, enchiladas, pasta + pesto sauces, burritos, etc. – I hope to prepare snacks in advance that I can individually wrap and store in the freezer. Things that I can toss into my purse or quickly unwrap when I need a boost will be so handy. Amidst uncertainty, it always feels good to have a back up plan (even if my reality will be take out food more than not).
These lightly-sweet granola bars are a great option because they are only sweetened with bananas and sweetened dried fruit. No sugar crashes here! You could even remove the dried fruit if you really wanted to, but I love how the dried cherries provide a pop of sweetness throughout. But it’s not what the bars don’t have – it’s what they do have. How about hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, rolled oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, banana, and more. These wholesome bars are crunchy, hearty, and chewy in the best way possible. And super filling thanks to the balance of protein, fibre, carbs, and healthy fats. One bar clocks in at 6.6 grams of protein and almost 5 grams of fibre (you can see the complete nutritional info in the recipe below). If you wanted to boost the protein even more, you can increase the hemp seeds (and maybe reduce the sunflower seeds a bit).
For even more staying power, try spreading on some nut or seed butter (with chia seed jam to make it a party!) or even a bit of coconut oil. That’s never a bad idea. Is it snack time yet?

Feel Good Hearty Granola Bars

Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free

5 from 27 reviews

Hearty, chewy, and crunchy, these wholesome granola bars will fill up the tank and keep your energy stable. If you are feeding the nut-free crowd, you can easily swap out the walnuts and almonds for more seeds so no one is left out! This recipe is adapted from Anjali's Oat Snack Bars which was originally adapted from Faith's 4-Ingredient Banana Oat Bars.

Yield
14-16 large bars

Prep Time
10 Minutes

Cook time
25 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium/large bananas)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups rolled oats (use certified gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/2-3/4 cup dried cherries, chopped (I used 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup hulled hemp seeds
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt or fine grain sea salt, or to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a large rectangular baking dish (approx. 8.5" x 12.5") and line with a piece of parchment paper so the bars are easier to lift out.
2. In a large bowl, mash the banana until smooth. Stir in the vanilla.
3. Place the rolled oats into a food processor (or blender on the lowest speed) and pulse until the oats are coarsely chopped (but still with lots of texture). Stir oats into the banana mixture.
4. Chop the walnuts and cherries and stir these and the rest of the ingredients into the banana-oat mixture until thoroughly combined.
5. Spoon mixture into prepared dish. Press down until compacted and smooth out with hands until even. Use a pastry roller to smooth out if desired.
6. Bake for 23-27 minutes (I baked for 25 mins.) until firm and lightly golden along the edge. Place dish on a cooling rack for 10 minutes then carefully slide a knife to loosen the ends and lift out. Place granola slab on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then into the freezer for another 10 mins. (if you are impatient like me).
7. Slice into bars once they are cool.

Approximate nutritional info: (per bar, based on 14 large bars using 1/2 cup dried sweetened cherries): 186 calories, 8.7 grams fat, 22 grams carbs, 4.7 grams fibre, 6 grams sugar, 6.6 grams protein. Without dried cherries, bars have approx. 3.6 grams of sugar and 166 calories.

Tips: To wrap these up for freezing, I wrapped the bars individually in parchment paper using 6-inch by 12-inch pieces of parchment. After wrapping up a bar, tie it with string or tape it to secure. Finally, place all of the bars into a freezer-safe zip lock bag, press out all the air, and then seal it shut. I will update this note when I know how long the bars last for, but I expect they will keep for over 1 month in the freezer. 2) These bars aren't super sweet, so if you prefer something sweeter you can always add a touch of sweetener. 3) I also expect these would be great with chopped dark chocolate added in!

Read more: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/20/feel-good-hearty-granola-bars/#ixzz3Vp5UYfTu