Healthy homemade granola bars recipe
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I Can't Believe It's Healthy Homemade Granola Bars Recipe
Photo © MamaBush
Contents at a Glance
- What We Eat
- A Quick Note About This Granola Bar Reci...
- INGREDIENTS for Healthy Homemade Granola...
- DIRECTIONS for Healthy Homemade Granola...
- PRINTABLE RECIPE for Healthy Homemade Gr...
- What do you think?
- Don't want to use boxed granola?
- Bookmark These Healthy Homemade Granola...
- SUBSTITUTIONS for Healthy Homemade Grano...
What We Eat
We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are. --Adelle Davis
A Quick Note About This Granola Bar Recipe
This is my own original recipe. If you re-post it somewhere, please link back to this lens. Please do not use the photos. Thank you!
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS for Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
Photo © MamaBush
1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup agave nectar (or real honey)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 cup oats
1/2 cup low-fat granola
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
2 Tbsp. milled flaxseed
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
DIRECTIONS for Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
Photo © MamaBush
1. In a saucepan, heat the peanut butter, agave nectar, and coconut oil over low to medium heat, stirring often until the peanut butter is melted and the ingredients are well mixed (only about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
Photo © MamaBush
2. In a medium mixing bowl, dump the remaining ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) and mix.
Photo © MamaBush
3. Pour peanut butter mixture into the dry mixture and mix with spatula until well incorporated. Let cool for 10 minutes. If you add the chocolate chips before this cooling period, they will become a gooey mess when you spread the mixture into the pan.
Photo © MamaBush
4. Now you can add the chocolate chips and fold them in to the mixture.
Photo © MamaBush
5. Press mixture into an ungreased square baking dish (8x8). Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 2 hours.
Photo © MamaBush
6. Cut into 8 bars and serve one with a glass of skim milk. The perfect snack!
PRINTABLE RECIPE
PRINTABLE RECIPE for Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
- Serves: 8
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
"I Can't Believe It's Healthy" Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup agave nectar (or real honey)
- 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup low-fat granola
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/3 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
- 2 Tbsp. whole or milled flaxseed
- 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
1. In a saucepan, heat the peanut butter, agave nectar, and coconut oil over low to medium heat, stirring often until the peanut butter is melted and the ingredients are well mixed (only about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, dump the remaining ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) and mix.
3. Pour peanut butter mixture into the dry mixture and mix with spatula until well incorporated. Let cool for 10 minutes.
4. After mixture has cooled a little, fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Press mixture into an ungreased square baking dish (8x8). Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 2 hours.
6. Cut into 8 bars and serve one with a glass of skim milk. The perfect snack!
Photo and Recipe © MamaBush
What do you think?
Don't want to use boxed granola?
Check out this awesome lens for a homemade granola recipe...
SUBSTITUTIONS
SUBSTITUTIONS for Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
Try substituting these other healthy ingredients
- ...Agave nectar, you can use real honey. This will make them taste even sweeter.
- ...Coconut oil, use olive oil...or even vegetable oil, although it's not as good for you.
- ...Peanut butter, use almond butter...or any other kind of nut butter. All-natural is best!
- ...Raisins, try dried cranberries or any other kind of dried fruit. You can even skip this ingredient if you want!
- ...Oats, add 1 cup of granola.
- ...Granola, add 1/2 cup of oats!
- ...Chocolate chips, try butterscotch chips or carob!
- ...Milled flax seed, leave it out...or if you have whole flaxseeds, mill them yourself in a coffee grinder.
Experiment by substituting your own combinations of healthy ingredients...see what you can come up with!
A FEW TIPS when making Healthy Homemade Granola Bars
2. If you don't want to use your stovetop, microwave your peanut butter until it's a thin, runny consistency and then add in your agave nectar and oil and mix them together. Only microwave peanut butter in short 15 second segments, stirring in between, until the desired consistency is reached. Peanut butter will burn in the microwave if it's nuked for too long!
3. You might want to double the recipe and make it in a 9 x 13 cake pan...these granola bars tend to disappear fast!
Benefits of Coconut Oil
Image: Coconut (halved) by SingChan ~ Flickr Creative Commons
Why Use Coconut Oil when making Healthy Homemade Granola Bars?
Health Benefits Galore!
The healthy benefits of coconut oil are numerous and it is smart to start using this heart-healthy oil in your cooking and baking! Here are just some of the wonderful things coconut oil can do for you.
Information courtesy of the Coconut Research Center.
- Supports your immune system.
- Kills viruses, bacteria, fungi and yeast in your body.
- Improves your digestion system and your bowel function.
- Increases energy and endurance.
- Protects against certain cancers, including breast and colon.
- Protects your gums and teeth from disease.
- Improves cholesterol and decreases the risk of heart disease.
- Reduces inflammation and supports the repair and healing of tissue.
- Dissolves kidney stones and helps relieve gallbladder disease symptoms.
- Protects against osteoporosis.
- Helps with symptoms of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
- Aids in weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight.
- ...and SO much more!
What did you learn about coconut oil?
Were you paying attention?
Learn More About the Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
- OrganicFacts.net
- Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
- CoconutOil.com
- Reasearch on Coconut Oil's Health Benefits
- CoconutResearchCenter.org
- The Official Coconut Research Center
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Coconut Oil on Amazon...the cheapest way to buy Coconut Oil!
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Free Recipe Books
Find other healthy snacks in these books
Cabaret Squidoo Headquarters
SquidAngel Blessings
This lens has been blessed by SquidAngels! Thank you all so much! :)Will you be trying these healthy homemade granola bars?
I'd love to hear how they turned out, especially if you used substitutions!
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poddys
May 25, 2012 @ 3:04 pm | delete
- These look tasty. I don't buy granola bars from the shops because they are full of corn syrup etc, and do you more harm than good. I think we just might try this recipe, nicely done.
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GeekGirl1
May 20, 2012 @ 6:32 pm | delete
- Great lens.
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skiesgreen
Apr 28, 2012 @ 5:51 pm | delete
- No, I am not keen on these type of foods. This is a great lens and nice recipes. Featured on Blessed by Skiesgreen 2012 and also on Squidoo Cooks. Hugs
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Einar_A
Apr 19, 2012 @ 9:07 pm | delete
- Stopping back by to give you a "high five" on this excellent and tasty lens!
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Morgannafay
Apr 13, 2012 @ 3:07 pm | delete
- I'll most certainly try them! Hey, they are no bake granola bars after all. LOL Great for those lazy cooking days. :)
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About the Author
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by mamabush
I am a work-at-home, homeschooling mom with 5 rambunctious, but always loveable, munchkins. My kids are 11, 5, 3, 1, and 4 months. I am not a perfec... more »
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