Homemade Granola Bars Recipe
Instructions for a Healthy and Kid Friendly Snack
Granola bars are great for kids. They’re easy to transport, so you can pack them up in your kids lunch box and send them off to school for your kids to have as either a snack or to round out a meal. They make a good on-the-go breakfast that still has the nutrients to have your kids eating healthy and prepare them for the day ahead. Breakfast is an essential meal that should not be skipped, but often, school day mornings are hectic and there isn’t any time for a sit down breakfast. You can make granola bars ahead of time and they will be the perfect treat for your kids to grab as they are running out of the house or as a quick snack before going out to play.
Granola bars are also great for your kids health. They are a light snack but still pack a nutritional punch. They are chock full of nuts and other great health food snacks that will curb hunger and help your kids lead an active, healthy life. You don’t have to go to the store to buy them. The best granola bars are the kind you make at home because you can control what ingredients go into them and cooking them can also serve as a fun activity for you and your kids to do together. There are many variations, so feel free to play around with the recipe. Here are the basic steps to get you started.
Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats ( Make sure to get the old-fashioned rolled kind and not the instant)
½ cup sunflower seeds (You can also substitute flax or chia seeds).
1 cup almonds, sliced (You can substitute any kind of nut here, walnuts work great for example).
½ toasted wheat germ (This is where you get tons of extra vitamins, minerals, and protein. It also has a nice nutty flavor. Be sure it’s fresh as wheat germ can easily go rancid).
½ cup honey (A great natural sweetener).
3 tablespoons peanut butter (You can use unsalted butter, but the peanut butter adds extra flavor and nutrients).
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1 ½ cups dried fruit (Use a combo of three, ½ cup each. You can use cranberries, cherries, blueberries, dates, apricots, or any other dried fruit).
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the first four ingredients onto a sheet pan and toast in the oven for 15 minutes.
Combine the liquid ingredients in a saucepan and heat on top of the stove on medium until smooth.
Grease a baking dish.
Combine wet and dry ingredients in the dish, add the dried fruit and stir until it all comes together. Make sure the ingredients are spread out evenly. Press into the baking dish so you have a flat surface.
Reduce the oven to 300 degrees. Return baking dish to oven.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow to cool.
Cut granola into bars or squares and place in an airtight container.
The bars will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
The recipe should yield 8 bars.
Image by Brown Eyed Baker on Flickr Creative Commons.
This content was created by AI
