I'm feeling a little granola... Literally!

After gaining an undisclosed amount of weight during pregnancy, I have been very motivated to lose it (...and breastfeeding only does so much!). I've found that having bars on hand is quick and easy and they are relatively filling. Many of the popular store brand granola and protein bars are packed with added sugars and fillers making them less healthy than their marketing lends you to believe.

 

My favorite store bought granola bar is the Kind Bar. The bars taste great and "feel" healthy. They are loaded with fiber and have 17 grams of whole grains per bar. The only problem is each box is kind of pricey (around $.75 per bar) and not many stores carry the brand.

 

I started eating several bars a day and at 75 cents a bar, our grocery bill started adding up. When I looked at the list of ingredients, I realized that the reason I love the bars is that they are SIMPLE.  Here's my own version of the Kind Bar:

 

 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup rolled oats (use gluten free oats for a gluten free version)

1/4 cup of any combination (uncooked millet, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat)

1/2 cup rice crispies cereal

3 tablespoons cornmeal (If you do not have cornmeal, you can use grits or regular flour)

Pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

2 tablespoons coconut oil (canola oil can be substituted)

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon brown sugar (I used sucanat which is dried cane sugar)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 9x9 (8x8 can be used) inch square Pyrex dish with parchment paper.
2. Combine the oats, rice crispies, cornmeal, salt and baking soda in a medium size mixing bowl. In a glass measuring cup or microwave safe bowl mix the honey and canola (or coconut oil). Place in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir to melt the coconut butter then add the vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk to combine and then mix the wet with the dry ingredients. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared Pyrex dish that is lined with parchment paper, and press down hard. I used a piece of parchment paper to press firmly.  It is very important that you really apply pressure and pack the mixture down.
3. Place in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. The bars will be golden on top. Remove the bars (if your bars seem a little loose, I like to push down again on them to make sure the bars will hold together) and let the bars cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes then remove from the pan and then cut while the bars are firm, but still somewhat soft. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Store in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic wrap.

 

Side notes:  I bought organic finely shredded coconut from Trader Joes and it works really well in this recipe. I think finely shredded coconut is best.

 

Buying the buckwheat, millet, quinoa and amaranth was pricey (probably $17 total) but since I am using a small amount of the ingredients in each batch, I know they will last a while.

 

If you do not want to use the buckwheat, millet, quinoa and amaranth, substitute 1/4 cup of  rolled oats.

 

For chewier bars, use the 8x8 Pyrex.