5 Minute No Bake Nutty Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars

First of all Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! I’m definitely missing my dad these days but I’ll be seeing him soon!

 

The title of these bars is a bit of a mouthful but they are very delicious! I found this bar recipe from healthy food blogger Anne at fANNEtastic Food. I love her blog because she incorporates healthy food and fitness. She stays true to who she is and I respect that. Her blog is very motivating and it motivated me to try her 5 Minute No Bake Peanut Butter Bars. I took her original recipe and tweaked it with ingredients I had on hand. They are a really tasty granola bar and they really do only take 5 minutes to make. The only thing I didn’t like about them is the chia seeds! I might just reduced the amount next time because they get stuck everywhere in your mouth. I had one on my break during work one day and I’m so glad I had a toothpick to pluck them out ;). I didn’t want to scare away customers!

They are a very soft granola bar as well, unless it was the nut butter I used. They fall apart easily, even if you keep them in the fridge. I’m going to add them to the freezer and she if that helps. I also added some extra salt to the mix because I was worried they would taste bland. Wrong!! Mine are a bit salty but in a good way since the dark chocolate balances it out. Dark Chocolate always makes everything taste better. Enjoy!

5 Minute No Bake Nutty Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars
Adapted from fANNEtastic Food (link to original recipe)

Ingredients
1 & 3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
1 cup crisp puffed wheat cereal (brown rice cereal works too!)
1/4 cup pepita seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/8 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup Nuttzo Peanut Free (creamy peanut butter would work best)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 100 calorie dark chocolate bar (Trader Joe’s Brand) OR 1/8 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
Add all the dry ingredients (oats to flaxseed) to a large bowl and mix them together.

In a separate (microwave safe) bowl, mix together the brown rice syrup, nut butter and vanilla extract. Microwave for 30 seconds. This will make it easier to mix and add to the dry ingredients since it’s really sticky.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix. Keep mixing until the wet binding ingredients are distributed all the way. This will take a few minutes but is well worth it. As Anne would say, put some muscle into it!

Pour the mixture into a shallow pan and flatten down. Top with chocolate and transfer to the fridge to harden up and then cut into 12 bars.

 

If you noticed I used Nuttzo Peanut Free in the bars, probably not a good idea either. There were already chia seeds in this nut butter and I added more. I don’t think the taste of this nut butter did much for the bars either. Creamy peanut butter or almond butter that has been roasted and a little salt would taste so much better!

 

Enjoy!

Fallon

Seedy Energy Bar with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate Chips

This wonderful energy bar was inspired by a past granola bar I’ve made and blogged about. That was a REALLY good granola bar and somehow I haven’t made it since. I am now determined to continue making my own homemade granola bars. I love how versatile they are because I can add the ingredients I really like. Dried apricots are one of my favorite dried fruits. They aren’t super sweet and they make for a great snack. I only enjoy the organic Turkish variety because the un-organic kind doesn’t taste as good. Other ingredients like almond butter and dark chocolate are items in my daily diet. My inspiration for my seedy energy bar were adding in flavors and tastes I enjoy. This is a great pre or post-workout bar that offers protein and healthy fats to fuel your body in a healthy way. These bars are also 100% gluten free because I purchased the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free rolled oats for all my bar making. No tummy aches for me!

Seedy Energy Bar with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate Chips

By Fallon

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup raw pepita seeds

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon whole golden flaxseeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/3 cup Thompson seedless raisins

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup creamy almond butter

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Direction

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray OR line with parchment paper with a slight overhang for easy removal.

Spread oats, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add raisins and apricots, toss to combine. (You could add the chocolate chips now but they will melt, I’d recommend waiting to mix them in at the very end.)

Combine almond butter, stevia, brown rice syrup, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 3-4 minutes.

Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until no dry spots remain. Quickly add and mix in the chocolate chips, if you haven’t already done so. Transfer to the prepared pan. Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer. Refrigerate until firm for 30 minutes, cut into 8 bars.

Crunchy, nutty, seedy, chewy, chocolaty and perfectly sweet. This was my first time using brown rice syrup and I love this sweetener. A little goes a long way. I tried the syrup when it was melted into the almond butter.. ummm that tasted fabulous like a healthy caramel if that is even possible!

I also added a new category on my recipe page called Healthy Snacks. I added all my healthy baked good items under the category because I’m anticipating on adding a lot more healthful items to my blog.

They hold their shape very well.

    

I’d love to know what the nutritional stats are for these bars but the website I use isn’t very good anymore. Do you know where I could calculate the stats online?

Fallon

Telluride Trail Bars

As I’m typing this up I’m having one of these amazing granola bars as my dessert after dinner. I came upon these bars through the blog Family Fresh Cooking. Marla has a really nice blog all about fresh and healthy cooking. We both can relate to that. I was actually in the market for some homemade granola bars because I’d like to limit my intake from store bought bars. In reality it is cheaper to make your own bars and you can use all natural ingredients. These bars are suppose to mimic one of my favorites, sweet/salty peanut butter pretzel Clif Mojo bars. Which is also one of Marla’s favorites as well! Marla’s Telluride Trail Bars were inspired by their many trips to Telluride, CO. I’ve never been to Colorado but by her photos, it looks like a beautiful state!

The bars have pretzels and peanuts, with peanut butter and banana being the binder/sweetener. No refined sugar is added to these bars. A touch of honey or maple syrup would be nice but I really don’t think it is necessary. They bake up beautifully and are great snacks. I’ve enjoyed mine like Marla and her family does by making little sandwiches with them or adding it to some plain kefir with a drizzle of peanut butter. I tweaked the bars a little bit by adding in some pepita and sunflower seeds, chocolate chips and chia seeds on top! Also instead of plain peanuts I added some honey roasted peanuts (these will contain refined sugar).They make a great dessert like I mentioned earlier or a pre/post workout snack. I totally recommend peanut butter on top!

  

Telluride Trail Bars

Adapted from Family Fresh Cooking

Ingredients

2 cups toasted old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup honey roasted peanuts, chopped

2 tablespoons raw pepita seeds, toasted

2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds, toasted

4 mashes very ripe bananas

1 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup whole grain or spelt pretzels

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons chia seeds

Optional: natural sweetener to taste

Direction

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with rack in the middle. Lay peanuts, seeds and oats in a 9 x 13” baking dish in a single layer. Bake for about 10 minutes until lightly toasted and golden brown. When you can start to smell the oats, peanuts and seeds, that means they are done. Set aside and let cool in a medium bowl.

Keep the oven heated to 350 degrees. Line the 9 x 13” baking dish with parchment paper. Heat up peanut butter and mashed bananas in microwave or over the stove and stir well to combine. Let cool a few minutes. In the medium bowl with the toasted oat mixture add in the peanut and banana mixture. Fold in the pretzels and 1/8 cup of the chocolate chips. The chocolate will melt into the mixture. Taste granola and add any sweetener if desired. Spread the mixture evenly in the baking dish and top with remaining chocolate chips and chia seeds.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The granola bars are done when the top is golden brown and the edges are a bit crispy. Let them cool so they are easy to handle, gently transfer to a cutting surface removing parchment paper and cut with a serrated knife or pizza cutter.

Plain kefir, go lean crunch cereal, crumbled up telluride bars, and peanut butter drizzle.

TRY THIS!

Enjoy,

Fallon

Peanut-Maple Power Bars

Mother's Day was approaching quickly and on holidays I usually like to bake up something. My mom kept telling me not to make her anything. We are both trying to watch out weight, and I totally understood where she was coming from. I remember her mentioning she wanted to make some homemade bars to eat after the gym or even as a snack. I researched and found many great recipes. It came down to one from EatingWell. This website is amazing. It has everything on there about healthy cooking and nutrition. Plus tons of recipes! I had a hard time choosing but their recipe for Almond-Honey Power Bars sounded really good. I liked how it was basically a no baked bar, besides melting the almond butter, honey and sugar on the stove top. It would be the glue for the rest of the ingredients. This bar is crunchy, chewy, perfectly sweet, and nutty!

This recipe is one you can definitely use as a go to recipe and constantly change up the ingredients to come up with new flavors. Which I already did. I decided to swap some ingredients, so I could use up what I had on hand. These made the perfect Mother's Day gift. She was pleasantly surprised and has really been enjoying them! The recipe makes 8 servings and are 244 calories a serving. I decided to make them smaller and into 16 servings, clocking in around 122 calories. It's a perfect satisfying snack. Below you will find my adapted recipe. Click HERE for the original recipe for Almond-Honey Power Bars.

Peanut- Maple Power Bars (Adapted from EatingWell)  
Ingredients
1 cup old-fashion rolled oats
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 cup unsweetened whole-grain puffed cereal
1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped
1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/3 cup dried jumbo raisins, chopped
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch-square pan with cooking spray. Spread oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cereal, dried cherries, apricots and raisins; toss to combine. Combine peanut butter, sugar, maple, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 2 to 5 minutes. Immediately pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon or spatula until no dry spots remain. Transfer to the prepared pan. Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer (wait until the mixture cools slightly if necessary). Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes; cut into 8 bars. (I cut mine into 16 bars instead.)

I wrapped each bar individually and into the fridge to stay fresh. They last for a long time! I usually just grab them as I'm on the go, and make a great afternoon snack with a cup of tea or coffee. I like these even more for the fact I don't like going to the gym hungry in the afternoon, so this bar fixes that problem and I'm able to workout with a boost of power bar energy. ;)


Always,
Fallon

Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bars

Who else likes to have a nice cup of hot coffee while baking?? It excites me to have a warm cup of coffee and be busy baking in the kitchen. This is something I always look forward to. It is relaxing and I'm in my OWN zone! I've gotten off the caffeine kick and converted to black tea if I need a little push for the day or caffeine free teas, which right now I'm digging a vanilla honey chamomile. Well I wanted a coffee for my energy bar experiment. Starbucks was on the way home, and it was around 1pm. I figured I'd get a decaf for once. Just my luck they stop brewing it after 12 because it isn't popular enough, but I can wait 5 minutes for them to brew a batch. Why can't they just brew half of the decaf so they aren't wasting it as much? It is nice to have a variety for customers! I thought that was retarded, I just wanted to leave. The barista mentioned I could get an decaffeinated Americano. I said fine but I know Starbucks makes a real weak Americano, too much hot water. It was alright to say the least. At least it settled for coffee and baking time!

From my last energy bar making experiment Mark's Daily Apple I decided I wanted to experiment with my own bars and maybe find something I will actually enjoy. The primal energy bars from Mark's blog were okay. I wasn't happy with all the almond butter and coconut oil that went into them, I rather smear almond butter on my bars than have it mixed into something. So I adjusted the recipe and made my own. In honor of Fall's arrival I opened up a can of pumpkin and wanted that as my main ingredients for the bars and to replace the almond butter.
 
Cranberry Pumpkin Energy Bars (By Fallon, inspired by Mark's Daily Apple )  
Ingredients
1/2 cup raw sliced almonds
1/2 cup raw pecans
1/4 sweetened coconut (unsweetened works too)
1/4 cup pureed pumpkin (homemade or canned)
3 oz. extra virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup almond meal
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of ground clove (optional)
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 large egg
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 dried cranberries
Coconut to sprinkle on top

On a cookie sheet toast the nuts and the coconut in a preheated oven at 350 degrees. After 6 minutes check on them to make sure they haven't burned and shake them up. Keep checking on them till they are done because the coconut burns quickly!

Should look like this, the coconut is a light brown, 
and the nuts aren't burned.
 

When you smell them, then you know they are done!
 

While the nuts and coconut are toasting melt together the coconut oil and pumpkin. I used the microwave for about 30 seconds. Once melted add the vanilla extract, maple syrup, spices and salt.

Once the nuts are out of the oven, transfer them to a food processor until they become coarsely ground. Set the oven down to 325 to bake the bars.

Check out the steam!! This mixture taste soo good on its own!
 

Next add the egg to the cooled pumpkin/coconut oil mixture. Then add in the nut mixture and the almond floor. Make sure everything is mixed thoroughly. In a lightly greased (I used olive oil spray) 8 x 8 nonstick pan spread the bar mixture evenly. Next sprinkle on some coconut. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. The bars should be cooked through and not wet. I checked this by lightly tapping my finger in the middle. The bars should be cooled completely before cutting into them. I put them in the fridge for a few hours and they held better. I also decided to keep them in the fridge so they would last longer.

The final result? Well I think I over did it on the SPICES! Very powerful and definitely don't need 1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. I thought they'd be similar in texture to the original bars I made, but they were much more moist because of the pumpkin. As for the coconut oil I think 3 oz is a bit overwhelming so next time I'll only use 2 oz of coconut oil. I like the coconut garnish on top, helps with the spiciness of the bars. The bars definitely have a nice texture with the processed nuts. It reminds me of the texture from a Larabar. I think these would taste better with a smear of almond butter on top ;) I haven't tried it yet but when I do I'll let you know. I still need more bar making practice but practice makes perfect right? I'll be interested if anyone else tries to create their own bars with pumpkin. If so let me know!!

----------------------------------------------------
On Friday I went to one of my friend's wedding from college. Her now husband is in the army and has been deployed in Kuwait. Long story short he decided while over there and her at home he wanted to get married on his 2 week leave that he is currently on. You know how many months she had to prepare for this wedding? haha.. 3 months! The poor girl turned into a bridezilla and was very stressed and confused. At least she had a great maid of honor to keep her in line! The end result was a great, simple wedding. It was small and she had everything she wanted within her budget. They married in a park and had their reception at Claim Jumper, their favorite restaurant. So of course I took pictures of food and cake! Claim Jumper has HUGE portions, I don't get it. Hence my massive, on steroids sweet potato pictured below. LOL. Someone ordered their turkey dinner it had a biscuit, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, vegetables, and gravy. I should of taken a picture of it, I couldn't believe the portion size of it. The girl who ordered it must of weighed 100 pounds, she took 2 bites and was stuffed. LOL

My good friend Z had the tri tip. Probably the best thing to order that night. 
She said the potatoes tasted weird, nothing like homemade!  

Hah, this was a Jamaican Jerk Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato. I asked them where they got this sweet potato because it was on steroids for sure! LOL. Definitely was different, not my favorite. I requested the salsa and honey on the side. The salsa was awful (thank goodness I left it off) but HELLO I had a stick of butter in the middle. They could of warned me it had butter. Sneaky Sneaky! 

Isn't the cake cute?? It was simple and elegant.
This had 2 flavors: chocolate and vanilla cake.

I love how couples will personalize their cakes!

Chocolate cake with chocolate mouse and raspberry between.
Doesn't it look rich and delicious? It was more of a disapointment,
it wasn't rich, nor sweet. Rather bland. 

Vanilla cake with Bavarian cream and fresh berries. Now this was DELICIOUS! 
As much as I love chocolate, I think I'd like this kind of cake combo for 
my own wedding one day. Everyone always enjoys it too.

 Even though it was okay it was still consumed mostly by me. ;)
Notice the fondant left over. ICK I can't stand the
sweetness or the texture of it. 

I was pretty stuffed after dessert. Was well worth it though. :) 

I wish R and J the best for a happy and healthy marriage. She is now an official Army Wife!! WOOT WOOT!

Good night!
Fallon

Primal Energy Bars

Since making my own granola, I'm also experimenting on how to make my own bars. I figure it is good to start by trying recipes from other people, and then taking what I've learned and adapting to my own bars I hope to create one day. I've had Primal Energy Bars bookmarked for a very long time. They come from Mark's Daily Apple, which is a fantastic blog and I enjoy reading about grok. I've adapted some of information but to be fully primal is something my body doesn't handle well. My diet needs a little bit of everything from fruits, veggies, protein, grains and healthy fats. I can't just eat raw fruit and veggies or all protein and fat. I need variety. So my diet is a mix of everything and I find it works best for me. I always enjoy reading other diets people follow. Lately it been several vegan food blogs that follow semi-raw diets as well. It really cool to stay open minded. I've taken some suggestions and incorporated them into my diet and I'm feeling great and full of energy! I don't have to be in work till this evening, I decided today was the day I'd make these primal energy bars. I had all the ingredients at home, so it was time to make them. I made a few changes to the recipe which I will post below but the full recipe can be found HERE at Mark's Daily Apple.

Primal Energy Bar Recipe (adapted from Mark's Daily Apple)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sliced raw almonds 1/2 cup whole raw pecans 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I used a sweetened coconut, since that what I had on hand)

2 oz creamy almond butter

2 oz extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup almond meal (simply pulse approximately 1/4 cup of almonds until it creates a coarse flour) (I bought mine from Trader Joe’s)

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp of raw honey

1/4 cup protein powder (30g) ( I used vanilla Jay Robb brown rice protein)

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup dried cherries and cranberries, combined and chopped

Method:

• On a cookie sheet, toast nuts and shredded coconut until golden brown. When you smell them then you know they are done. Trust me, I kind of burnt mine but they still were edible!

• Once toasted, pour mixture into a food processor and pulse until nuts are chopped and the mixture becomes coarsely ground (sort of the consistency of bread crumbs).

Just a little well done! ;)
 

Looks like bread crumbs to me. This mixture tasted awesome just 
like this!  Be a nice topping for vanilla ice cream. :)

• In a mixing bowl, melt coconut oil and almond butter (about 30 seconds). Remove from microwave and stir until smooth.

• Add vanilla extract, honey and sea salt. Mix thoroughly.
• Fold in nut mixture, almond meal and protein powder until mixed thoroughly.
• Add whole egg and mix thoroughly.
• Fold in cherry and cranberry mixture

• Press mixture into an 8x8 loaf pan, no need to grease they won't stick.

What it looks like when everything is incorporated.

• Cook in a preheated oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.
• Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into 15 pieces/bars

• Enjoy or stack on wax paper/parchment and store in an airtight container.

The texture of the nuts just melts in your mouth.
 

The verdict? I like them! I cut my bars smaller because I wanted them more as a snack, but the original recipe tells you to cut them into 12. I was expecting a firmer bar but these were rather dry and crumbly. Not overly sweet either. You can taste the nuttiness from the toasted nuts, and no signs of coconut taste from the oil or the shredded. I decided against adding more coconut to the top because I didn't want a sweet bar. My dad even approved of these bars and he is a typical white bread kind of guy! I'm glad I was finally able to make these. I spent a total of 40 minutes making these from prepping, to making, to cleaning. They are really quick and easy as long as everything is ready to go. The add-ins are endless to these as well. Mark suggests making a chocolate primal bar by either melting chocolate chips into the batter or waiting for the batter to cool off and then add the chips in to make a chocolate chip primal bar. Since the bars are crumbly, they aren't as easy to eat on the go. I would definitely cut back on the coconut oil and almond butter next time. I like to eat my almond butter on something and see it, when it's mixed into something I don't get the same effect or satisfaction!

Also the nutritional stats are listed on the recipe link as well. Not bad for 184 calories. I made some adjustments by not adding all the protein powder and cutting them into 15 bars. So my may be slightly less in calories. I just love the fact they are very low carb for a bar! I'm going to work this evening I think it is time for a nap!!! Doesn't that sound good? Oh yes! Tomorrow morning I'm waking up at 6am to go run some stairs at the park. This is becoming one of my favorite outdoor exercises! I just found out today as well that this Saturday is UFC at my best friend's house. I'm really not in the mood to bake a sweet treat. I've been doing really well on eating clean and I'd like to keep up with it. So I decided to buy a dessert. I will let you know what it is this weekend. ;)

Have a healthy one,
Fallon