A Little of Everything Energy Bars
Nutritional Info
- Servings Per Recipe: 24
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories: 227.7
- Total Fat: 11.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
- Sodium: 108.4 mg
- Total Carbs: 26.0 g
- Dietary Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 6.7 g
View full nutritional breakdown of A Little of Everything Energy Bars calories by ingredient
Introduction
I've been looking for something to keep with me for when I've let myself get busy and forgotten to eat. As I was looking through recipes for granola bars, nearly all of them had problems. Some had too much chocolate and would melt in this Florida heat. Some had too much sugar or added fats. Some were just plain boring! So I improvised a few things and this is what I came up with. The applesauce really binds the bars together well if it's done right! These are not low calorie, but as I struggle to eat enough calories, my main concern here was making sure to include as many nutrients as possible.Stash these wherever you think you might need them: in your gym bag, kids lunches or sports/dance bag, in the car, before heading to the beach or on a long walk... very handy and way better for your body than all the preservatives and processed junk in commercial granola bars. Give yourself something tasty and nutritious for your new lifestyle. I've been looking for something to keep with me for when I've let myself get busy and forgotten to eat. As I was looking through recipes for granola bars, nearly all of them had problems. Some had too much chocolate and would melt in this Florida heat. Some had too much sugar or added fats. Some were just plain boring! So I improvised a few things and this is what I came up with. The applesauce really binds the bars together well if it's done right! These are not low calorie, but as I struggle to eat enough calories, my main concern here was making sure to include as many nutrients as possible.
Stash these wherever you think you might need them: in your gym bag, kids lunches or sports/dance bag, in the car, before heading to the beach or on a long walk... very handy and way better for your body than all the preservatives and processed junk in commercial granola bars. Give yourself something tasty and nutritious for your new lifestyle.
Number of Servings: 24
Ingredients
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2 T each: sesame seeds, chia seeds
1/4 cup each: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, uncooked millet
3/4 cup each: almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, shredded coconut
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3 cups old fashioned oats
3 cups puffed millet cereal
3/4 cup textured vegetable protein
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1/3 cup raisins
1 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, divided
1/4 c agave nectar
1/4 c molasses
1/2 c sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 tsp cinnamon, ground
1 tsp nutmeg, ground
1 tsp ginger, ground, 1 tsp
1 tsp cloves, ground, 1 tsp
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400F, placing the rack in the middle. In a large bowl, combine all nuts and seeds with the non-puffed millet. Dump these into a large pan (glass or metal, roughly 9"x13") and bake for about 5-15 minutes until the coconut is just barely toasted. Meanwhile, heat 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce with raisins, agave and molasses in the bottom of a large stock pot. Add spices and half the sugar. As the mixture begins to simmer and reduce, add the rest of the sugar and continue adding applesauce 1/3 c at a time. Once it's not too thick, not too thin, remove from heat and set aside. When the nuts/seeds are toasted, put them back into the large bowl and combine them with the puffed millet cereal, oats and TVP. It's looking yummy already, right? It should be pretty sticky at this point, and there should be no leftover applesauce mixture in the bottom of the pan.
Combine all ingredients together in the stock pot with the applesauce mixture. This takes quite a bit of stirring to get every little piece coated, but I did just fine with wooden spoon. Line your big pan again with wax paper (just the bottom, not the sides - it will burn!) and use pan spray on the sides if you wish (optional!). dump the mixture into the pan and press it smooth with your spoon or with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. Once you've pressed it into one even layer, pop it back in the oven for about 20-35 minutes. I know that's a big time difference, but every oven is different, so just keep an eye on it and take it out when the top is golden brown. It should feel a little bit spongy to the touch after it's cooled a minute or two. Perfect! Squish it down once more and then let it cool at least one hour before removing from the pan and cutting into 24 pieces.
Experiment with this recipe! If you've mixed everything up but there wasn't enough applesauce mixture, add a few more tbsp of applesauce or water. If the mixture is too soggy before it goes in the oven, add a few tbsp of oats, tvp or millet cereal.
Wrap these in zip bags, plastic wrap or wax paper and keep them in a dry place. If your region is particularly humid, consider keeping them in the refrigerator. I'd probably try to eat them within about a month.
Cheers!
Number of Servings: 24
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ANNIEDANGER.
Combine all ingredients together in the stock pot with the applesauce mixture. This takes quite a bit of stirring to get every little piece coated, but I did just fine with wooden spoon. Line your big pan again with wax paper (just the bottom, not the sides - it will burn!) and use pan spray on the sides if you wish (optional!). dump the mixture into the pan and press it smooth with your spoon or with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup. Once you've pressed it into one even layer, pop it back in the oven for about 20-35 minutes. I know that's a big time difference, but every oven is different, so just keep an eye on it and take it out when the top is golden brown. It should feel a little bit spongy to the touch after it's cooled a minute or two. Perfect! Squish it down once more and then let it cool at least one hour before removing from the pan and cutting into 24 pieces.
Experiment with this recipe! If you've mixed everything up but there wasn't enough applesauce mixture, add a few more tbsp of applesauce or water. If the mixture is too soggy before it goes in the oven, add a few tbsp of oats, tvp or millet cereal.
Wrap these in zip bags, plastic wrap or wax paper and keep them in a dry place. If your region is particularly humid, consider keeping them in the refrigerator. I'd probably try to eat them within about a month.
Cheers!
Number of Servings: 24
Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user ANNIEDANGER.
