There are times when it feels impossible to make healthy choices. It's usually due to lack of time, space, or money: food at the airport costs more than my ticket, car rides with kids being bombarded with fast-food signs = a recipe for frustration, and it's hard to put a plate of whole wheat pasta in my backpack (I've tried.) Here's a good way to combat the "what to eat when I'm traveling/working/need a snack/running around with the kids/want just a nibble/can't get my teenager to sit down long enough/don't want to spend a ton/wish it was homemade/don't have a lot of time" issue. Easy Made Granola Bars
Sometimes I forget just how easy, inexpensive and fast it is to MAKE my own health bar. Plus, I get to pick my own most loved (or convenient) ingredients and I can vary them according to who I'm sharing them with (allergies, children or adults, etc.) These Easy Made Granola Bars keep really well, especially if you have the time to seal them in bags with a Food Saver kind of device, or just in Ziploc bags in the fridge or freezer. Cut them to the size that works for you, and vary it up as needed. I keep a bag of mini sizes in the fridge for munchies, and more substantial bar sizes are vacuum sealed for my teenager to grab and run.
EASY MADE GRANOLA BARS recipe:
2 cups Rolled Oats (not the instant kind, but quick cook Quaker is fine)
1/3 - 1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup (or a good quality maple syrup, or honey)
1/4 cup Safflower or Canola oil
1 cup of mixed Goodies*** see choice examples below***
(optional dash of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, or vanilla
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until just moist. Press hard and compactly into an 8x8 inch baking pan (using plastic over your hand makes this easier).
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars or squares as preferred and package as needed (any crumbs and clumps can be sprinkled over yogurt, mmmm.)
**GOODIES**: (recommended to choose 3-4 items to make up a cup of Goodies)
Chopped Nuts (Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds, Hazelnuts, etc.)
Chopped or small Dried Fruits (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots, figs, etc.) Coconut shredded Seeds (Pumpkin, sunflower, Pepita, flax, sesame, etc.) also: a sprinkle of cocoa nibs, crushed caramel brittle, or freeze dried fruit nibs
Sometimes I forget just how easy, inexpensive and fast it is to MAKE my own health bar. Plus, I get to pick my own most loved (or convenient) ingredients and I can vary them according to who I'm sharing them with (allergies, children or adults, etc.) These Easy Made Granola Bars keep really well, especially if you have the time to seal them in bags with a Food Saver kind of device, or just in Ziploc bags in the fridge or freezer. Cut them to the size that works for you, and vary it up as needed. I keep a bag of mini sizes in the fridge for munchies, and more substantial bar sizes are vacuum sealed for my teenager to grab and run.
EASY MADE GRANOLA BARS recipe:2 cups Rolled Oats (not the instant kind, but quick cook Quaker is fine)
1/3 - 1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup (or a good quality maple syrup, or honey)
1/4 cup Safflower or Canola oil
1 cup of mixed Goodies*** see choice examples below***
(optional dash of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, or vanilla
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until just moist. Press hard and compactly into an 8x8 inch baking pan (using plastic over your hand makes this easier).
Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Let cool completely. Cut into bars or squares as preferred and package as needed (any crumbs and clumps can be sprinkled over yogurt, mmmm.)
**GOODIES**: (recommended to choose 3-4 items to make up a cup of Goodies)
Chopped Nuts (Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews, Almonds, Hazelnuts, etc.)
Chopped or small Dried Fruits (raisins, cranberries, cherries, apricots, figs, etc.) Coconut shredded Seeds (Pumpkin, sunflower, Pepita, flax, sesame, etc.) also: a sprinkle of cocoa nibs, crushed caramel brittle, or freeze dried fruit nibs
