Granola Bars

Did you know your granola bar purchased from the store probably isn't good for you? It's probably got some form of corn syrup or a preservative in it. I was talking with a lady the other day that eats nothing but organic because of all the pesticides and hormones added to our veggies now a days. It was really interesting and it got me to thinking and researching (which we'll talk about later. This post is for granola bars). As much as I would LOVE to buy organic everything. It's not practical for me at this point in my life because I just can't afford it. Hopefully next year I can grow my own veggies. Anyways we started talking about why boxed, bagged, or canned meals really aren't good for you and that's because most likely there is some sort of preservative chemical in there that your body really doesn't need. I watched a couple of clips of Dr. Oz the other day. Dr. Oz had my "favorite" person ever on, Mr. Tony Horton. Tony was talking about food and what to eat. He said eat like your great grandparents had to eat. One ingredient at a time. So now when I go to the store I look at every label. If I can't pronounce the name in the ingredients list I don't buy it. He also said follow the 90/10 rule. 90% of the food you eat should be whole and healthy. For example green peppers, avocados, whole wheat grains, free range chicken, wild caught fish, etc. The other 10% should be a reward, cause let's face it you can't make changes in one day. Our bodies have been brought up on all this bad for us stuff and now we need to wean ourselves off of it. He said you want that piece of chocolate cake? Go for it! But it can only amount to 10% of your daily calorie intake.

Okay, whoa huge tangent! Back to granola bars. There are some pretty great sites and recipes out there. I haven't tried these yet, but I bought a bucket of oats the other day and I plan on making them today. Yay for granola bars! Cause they are totally my favorite snack to grab.

*Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup white wheat flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• ½ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup sucanat/brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 egg
• ½ cup sour cream

1.Grease a 9×13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.In a mixing bowl, combine oats, flour, baking powder, chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, sucanat/brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir.
3.Add egg, sour cream, pumpkin, and vanilla. Stir until combined. It will be stiff. Pack down into pan using damp hands.
4.Bake for 15-20 minutes or until browned to your desire.

These came from http://www.stacymakescents.com/20-healthy-granola-bar-recipes

*Back to school

• 1 Cup Unsweetened Organic Coconut
• 1 Large Banana (Extra Ripe)
• 1 Cup Whole Grain Oats 
• 1 Tbsp Organic Vanilla Extract 
• 1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seed 
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 2 Tbsp Mini Vegan Chocolate Chips 
• 1 Packet Truvia (Your Choice Of Sweetener)

Preheat oven to 350

1.Add banana, coconut, flax seed, vanilla,  oats and Truvia to electric mixer and mix on low speed. 

Add unsweetened almond milk 1 tbsp at a time slowly increasing the mixer’s speed.

2.Grease a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.Pour granola mixture onto baking sheet and spread out into a square shape with a spatula.Try to spread and flatten the mixture evenly as possible without puncturing the shape. 

3.Evenly distribute the mini chocolate chips on the granola and lightly press them down.

Bake 11-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown.

4.Before the granola starts to harden take a knife and cut the square into 8 even rectangles.

1 Bar : Calories 85, Fat : 4g, Carbs 14g, Fiber 5g, Sugar 2g, Protein 3.4g 

 

These came from http://windsorstore.tumblr.com/post/31063653252/fab-fit-friday-back-to-school-granola-bars-and-a 

 

*Healthy Banana Bread Granola Bars

 

• 1 very ripe banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp + 1 tsp brown sugar
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• 1 tsp chia seeds

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick spray.
2.Combine the banana, applesauce, honey, egg white, cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt, and 3 tbsp brown sugar in a large bowl.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk together the rolled oats, flax seeds, and chia seeds. Add to liquid mixture and stir well to combine.
4.Press mixture into prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 1 tsp of brown sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes.
5.Once done, invert onto a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool completely before slicing.

 

These came from http://www.ericasweettooth.com/2013/01/healthy-banana-bread-granola-bars.html

 

These are three recipes I wanna try but that www.stacymakescents.com/20-healthy-granola-bar-recipes has 20 different recipes.