Healthy Homemade Granola Bars (they are low calorie too!)

In an age of health fads, when the phase of today seems to have everyone quitting sugar, I am here to say that I am no quitter. Quite the contrary, as a matter of fact. It seems the older I get, the sweeter my tooth becomes. While some may say this my sugar 'addiction', I am much more interested in how I indulge this sweet tooth sensibly as opposed to removing it completely.
At present, one of my favourite work time snacks is a granola bar - easy, calorie controlled, and hits the sweet spot. But with my increasingly greener view on things, I feel a little guilty every time that wrapper goes in the bin. So this week, I decided to have a crack at making my own granola bars, and after scouring many a website for a low calorie version, below is my own attempt. And they turned out pretty tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup rice bubbles/ krispies (I use an organic version from the supermarket)
• 1/2 cup chopped raw almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbs wheat germ (optional)
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey (we use a great local honey)
• 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 175℃
2. Line a large baking dish (mine was 23cm x 33cm) with baking paper
3. Combine oats, rice bubbles, almonds, dried fruit, coconut, cinnamon and wheat germ in a large bowl
4. Melt together the peanut butter, honey, coconut oil and vanilla until they come together in a smooth consistency. You can use either in a small saucepan on the stove top, or a microwave-safe bowl (30 seconds, give it a stir, then 20 seconds more).
5. Mix the wet and dry ingredients really well, for a couple of minutes really, so that everything is well coated.
6. Put the mixture into the prepared tray and squash it down as hard as you can into a firm layer. I used the back of a spatula with a little coconut oil on it to help push it down.
7. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Remove from oven and allow to cool before slicing into 24 bars.

I found this version really yummy, and with just a nice little crunch to it. 

Sparks recipe calculator has these figured at about 95 calories per serve (a serve being 1 slice, when cut into 24 pieces). 

Happy snacking!

xx

Homemade Granola

My apologies, dear blog, for being so neglectful to you these past months. I'm not even going to think how long it has been, but somewhere between raising (wrangling?) a toddler, working 3-4 days a week, contributing to some local groups, having something resembling a social life, and trying to find time in all this for some exercise and healthy eating, well I am afraid time for myself, the time to sit down with a cup of tea and share something in this space, has been impossible to find.

But I am working on trying to get more balance in my life. Balance between what I want and need, and what is wanted and needed from me. This last year has seen some very positive changes in my lifestyle. I have lost, and kept off, about 10kg and am very much enjoying life in the healthy weight range. But balance here is also tricky. Balance between low-calorie healthy meals and healthy wholefood options, and then trying to find the happy medium somewhere in middle.

One yummy breakfast our family of three has been loving lately is fresh fruit salad topped with yoghurt and granola. In an effort to reduce packaging, and have more control over what is in what we are eating, I have been making my own granola of late, and we are all pretty keen on it. Ruby asks for "yoghurt with crunchies" for her breakfast and devours it in a flash.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
• 3/4 cups of chopped raw almonds
• 1/2 cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (I have also used agarve syrup, but use a little less of that one)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbs coconut oil (melted)
• 1 cup caramelised buckwheat (optional - add in after toasting, I use 'Loving Earth Caramelised Buckinis')

1. Preheat oven to 150℃, and line two large baking sheets with baking paper
2. Combine oats, coconut, cinnamon, almonds and pepitas in a large mixing bowl
3. Combine melted oil, vanilla and syrup in a small bowl
4. Now just mix it all together really well, so everything is kind of glossy and has a little shine to it
5. Spread out onto the two trays in thin layers
6. Bake for 30 minutes, turning everything over with a spatula every 10 minutes, or until evenly golden brown.
7. Allow to cool completely before stirring through the caramelised buckwheat, then store in a large airtight container. It should keep for a few weeks... ours never lasts that long though.

xx