Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
Quinoa, steel cut oats, pumpkin seeds, carob chips-oh my!
Are you the type of person who stocks up on granola bars for a quick protein and energy fix? Are you monitoring what you eat and strive to eat clean? Like most of you, I am guilty of priding myself on eating whole, clean foods but when I look at some of my snack choices I have to be honest and admit I opt for prepared, packaged granola bars! Why do I do this? I have no excuse for being lazy. There are tons of recipes out there and it is incredibly easy to toss together ingredients. No excuse!
So maybe you are not a fan of cooking or fear you have no time for such things. Ok-you don't have to love cooking but you can make time to nourish your body! Make it a fun event by including your kiddos or challenging your friends to see who can make the most creative bars; whatever twist you can think up-make it work for you!
I did a bit of research for recipes. So many choices. Yummy, creative food choices to be had! I wanted to try something a bit different; out the norm so I was delighted to have discovered a quinoa bar recipe. Great for gluten free diet needs, protein super food. I found the recipe on a Pinterest pin from http://www.justataste.com/, with the recipe being property and copyright f http://ifoodreal.com/. I made a few changes to adapt to my taste.
Making the bars was not enough. How am I teach people how to make these and offer alternatives to others if I don't have feedback? I decided to utilize my natural supports of coworkers, friends, and even my yoga students as "taste testers." While the general consensus from the brave souls who tried the bars thought they were good just they way they are, a couple of people thought that they were not sweet enough. This was great I thought! All the more reason to experiment some more with substituting the brown rice sugar for honey, agave nectar/syrup, and coconut sugar. There has to be a combination that would work for those who prefer sweetness! And, I love a challenge of finding what works!
I am very grateful for all those who are supporting me in developing ideas for others. The more others can share what they think, the better I can provide for the clients I work with, and for them, if they want! This is so much fun for me!
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup quick oats
3/4 cup steel cut oats
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup carob chips
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 large egg whites-enough to make 1/2 cup of whites
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
cooking spray, parchment paper.
Directions
Preheat oven to 325* F. Spread quick oats, steel cut oats, quinoa, and almonds on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown, stirring occasionally. Let cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled mixture, ground flax seed, carob chips, and salt. In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg whites, add brown rice syrup and coconut oil. Mix well, then pour over the dry ingredients, mixing well again.
Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Transfer mixture into the baking dish. using spatula or wet hands press mixture firmly. It is important to press really hard to compact the mixture so it will hold together. Bake 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool completely. Lifting by the parchment paper, transfer the block onto a cutting board and cut into whatever size bars you prefer.
Store in a cool dry place for up to a few weeks. You can also freeze in airtight container for up to 3 months. Great to make ahead for those busy weeks, day trips, extra work out days, etc.
*Including your children in making the bars will foster a connection to food choices and make them more willing to eat healthy!
Share your ideas and pictures of what you create!
So maybe you are not a fan of cooking or fear you have no time for such things. Ok-you don't have to love cooking but you can make time to nourish your body! Make it a fun event by including your kiddos or challenging your friends to see who can make the most creative bars; whatever twist you can think up-make it work for you!
I did a bit of research for recipes. So many choices. Yummy, creative food choices to be had! I wanted to try something a bit different; out the norm so I was delighted to have discovered a quinoa bar recipe. Great for gluten free diet needs, protein super food. I found the recipe on a Pinterest pin from http://www.justataste.com/, with the recipe being property and copyright f http://ifoodreal.com/. I made a few changes to adapt to my taste.
Making the bars was not enough. How am I teach people how to make these and offer alternatives to others if I don't have feedback? I decided to utilize my natural supports of coworkers, friends, and even my yoga students as "taste testers." While the general consensus from the brave souls who tried the bars thought they were good just they way they are, a couple of people thought that they were not sweet enough. This was great I thought! All the more reason to experiment some more with substituting the brown rice sugar for honey, agave nectar/syrup, and coconut sugar. There has to be a combination that would work for those who prefer sweetness! And, I love a challenge of finding what works!
I am very grateful for all those who are supporting me in developing ideas for others. The more others can share what they think, the better I can provide for the clients I work with, and for them, if they want! This is so much fun for me!
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup quick oats
3/4 cup steel cut oats
1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup carob chips
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 large egg whites-enough to make 1/2 cup of whites
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
cooking spray, parchment paper.
Directions
Preheat oven to 325* F. Spread quick oats, steel cut oats, quinoa, and almonds on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly brown, stirring occasionally. Let cool completely.
In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled mixture, ground flax seed, carob chips, and salt. In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg whites, add brown rice syrup and coconut oil. Mix well, then pour over the dry ingredients, mixing well again.
Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Transfer mixture into the baking dish. using spatula or wet hands press mixture firmly. It is important to press really hard to compact the mixture so it will hold together. Bake 30 minutes, remove from oven and let cool completely. Lifting by the parchment paper, transfer the block onto a cutting board and cut into whatever size bars you prefer.
Store in a cool dry place for up to a few weeks. You can also freeze in airtight container for up to 3 months. Great to make ahead for those busy weeks, day trips, extra work out days, etc.
*Including your children in making the bars will foster a connection to food choices and make them more willing to eat healthy!
Share your ideas and pictures of what you create!
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