Holy delicious snack bars! These are amazing and healthy! For me, one of the hardest things to find a healthy version of are quick grab-and-go bars. The two best ones I’ve found are RX Bars and Larabars. KIND bars are probably the next best, although they do have added sugar. It’s amazing to me to go to a healthy grocery store, look at the grab-and-go bar aisle and see that 95% of the items have brown rice syrup as their first or second ingredient! So I sat down, searched the internet for some recipes, and spent yesterday testing and modifying a few healthy bar recipes – and here are my two favorite. And they are GOOD!! Both are full of whole, real foods and loaded with nutrients. They do have a little honey in them as a sweetener, but if you are trying to avoid sugar all together, you can just leave that out.
The first one is a peanut butter granola bar that is sweet and would make a delicious snack! The second is more like an oat loaf, full of superfoods and nuts. Both are healthy, both are delicious! Next time you have some time, try one of these recipes. You can store them in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a few weeks.
Voila! Healthy bars ready for your on-the-go lifestyle!
Healthy 5 (Or 6!) Ingredient Granola Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 heaping cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1/4 cup creamy natural peanut butter or almond butter (salted or unsalted)
- 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- optional additions: 1/4c Chia Seeds
Instructions:
- Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. (Mine rolled into a ball.)
- Optional step: Toast your oats (and almonds if raw) in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven for 8 minutes or until slightly golden brown (not burnt!!) Otherwise, leave them raw – I prefer the toasted flavor.
- Place oats, almonds and dates in a large mixing bowl – set aside.
- Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat or in a microwave safe bowl. Stir and pour over oat mixture, add the chia seeds (optional) and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
- Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8-inch baking dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily.
- Press down firmly until uniformly flattened – I use something flat, like a drinking glass, to press down and really pack the bars, which helps them hold together better.
- Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let firm up in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove bars from pan and chop into even bars or squares. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days in the fridge.
Oatmeal Superfood Loaf!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup slivered almonds
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 bananas
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla
Topping:
- ½ cup old fashioned oats
- ¼ cup slivered almonds
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup fresh organic blueberries (I did half blueberries and half chopped strawberries)
- ¼ cup of almond milk
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Line 9 x 9 baking pan with parchment paper, lightly grease with coconut oil
- Add all ingredients in to food processor until completely combined and wet, this may take a few minutes.
- Pour into prepared pan and smooth out with off set spatula until evenly spread.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Combine ingredients in medium bowl and stir to combine.
- Removing pan from oven, spread topping evenly over and lightly press down into base.
- Bake an additional 15 minutes