My little sous-chef!
I find over and over again that snacking is an area where people continually fall down when trying to follow a healthier diet.
If you use a menu plan, mealtimes can be pretty simple. But, snacks are often a problem.
A solution to that is to plan your snacks also, not just your main meals.
I recently mentioned that I was speaking at a ladies meeting, and that evening I shared a snack recipe, which I think is delicious, easy and nutritious.
This recipe keeps really well in the fridge (up to 5 days), so it is a good one to make on the weekend, when you have a little time, then you enjoy throughout the week as a healthy snack option.
It’s also ideal for kids lunch boxes.
And, while I’m on the topic, it’s great for getting your kids involved in baking, too, as it’s really easy to include them when you make a simple recipe like this :-)
Anyway, here is my recipe. I hope you enjoy it, too.
Healthy Granola Bar Recipe
MGF
**apologies for the stock image, I will update will an actual image of my granola bars next time I make them.
This recipe is very easy and fast to make, and what I really love is that it’s made in muffin cups, which means no fiddly cutting afterwards!
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole nuts (your choice, but I like to use almonds)
1 ½ cups dried fruits (for example cranberries, apricots and raisins)
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch cinnamon (add more if you like)
1/4 cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
1/2 cup nut butter
2 bananas, mashed
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
- In a food processor, coarsely chop the nuts and dried fruits. Add to a bowl, then mix in the oats, vanilla, cinnamon, and seeds.
- Mix the nut butter and bananas until a paste forms, then add this to the other ingredients, and mix well.
- Spoon into lightly greased muffin cups, and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden.
Makes about 18 bars.
What’s your favorite healthy granola bar recipe? Please share your recipe with us below…
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Can’t wait to try these when the price of bananas drops ($10 per kilo at the moment!). They look delicious and easy!
Wow really, Suzannah? That’s shocking! I think that happened when we lived in Australia, too. Something to do with winds or heavy rain up north, I can’t remember now.
I was thinking, you may be able to substitute the bananas with applesauce. I would say 1 mashed banana is typically equal to 1/2 cup, so substituting with a 1/2 cup of applesauce (or prune puree perhaps?) per banana might work.
I’m not sure if that’s a cost effective solution though, as I don’t know how much you can get applesauce for.
Yeah, they’re actually down from $13 per kilo! Heard on the news that the price will soon plummet as a bumper crop comes in, so I shouldn’t have to wait more than a few months (I hope!). I could definitely try an alternative. What about a thick pumpkin or sweet potato puree? Do you think that could work?
I definitely think pumpkin or sweet potato would work, too. If you try them with the alternatives, let me know please :-)
Hey Melanie,
I finally tried this recipe today because I needed something different to feed my boys for after-school snacks. They eat so much, I can hardly keep enough food in the house!
Anyway, I tried substituting applesauce in place of the mashed banana, and while the taste is good, they are so moist you can hardly pick them up without them falling to pieces. I’m assuming this is because the applesauce is thinner than mashed banana.
Now, I must say the kids don’t mind that they fall apart, but I was wondering how firm the bars get when you use mashed banana instead. Maybe they wouldn’t set as firm as a bar containing sugar, butter or oil?
Will have to experiment a bit or wait until bananas come down in price! Anyway, the kids will definitely enjoy eating them this week, so thanks for the recipe :)
Hmmmm this may be another handy food for me eating on the run, so to speak!!
I must try these. Thanks again!! BTW I am back on track again. Wk one. amazingly enough, considering my holiday and also a lot of emotional chocolate eating since I’ve been back, I only gained 1/2lb. I was still sticking to the basic weightloss plan, but no excercise and too much choci. So I am happy at least that I didn’t pile on the lbs. So the high protein and less carbs keeps me stable. :)
I just made these last night again. I think they are very satisfying, and super healthy, too :-) A good snack alternative. Well done on the weight loss, BTW. I hope it’s going well this week.
Great recepie! But i cant get hold of nut butter right now, do you have any substitute suggestions?
Gabriella,
You can’t get hold of peanut butter? You could make your own with whole peanuts, is that an option?
These are great snacks! Do you happen to know the calorie content by any chance?
They would be roughly 160 calories each. Although it’s difficult to say, due to the variation in ingredients you could use, and also the size you make them.
Hi Melanie!! just stumbled upon your site and it looks great!
Thanks, Eric.
What time/temperature should I set the oven if I’m baking these in a 8×8 glass pan?
It’s 180 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, Megan.
It’s 180 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, just keep a close eye on them to see if they need more of less cooking.
Do you have a nutrition content breakdown on the bars?
I’m sorry, I don’t Kelli.
Hi Suzannah,
The bars are fairly firm when made using bananas. They don’t fall apart at all, but they aren’t chewy like some granola bars, either. I wonder would they be better with the mashed pumpkin as a substitute, since I think it would be of a thicker consistency than applesauce?
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