Make your own Energy Bars/ Granola

If you’re one of the many who skip out on breakfast and grab a breakfast bar, there is a cheaper – and healthier – alternative to the breakfast bar or refined sugary treat that passes for an energy bar these days.

Reasons To Make Your Own:
By making your own bars, you can cut out a lot of sugar, preservatives and artificial flavouring. While there is sugar present in the dried fruits in this recipe, it’s nowhere near as unhealthy as the amounts of refined sugar and glucose present in commercial brands.

A cost-saving measure might involve finding a health food store nearby that sells bulk ingredients; you could be saving more money if the nuts and oats are not pre-packaged.

Directions:

1 cup gluten free rolled oats

1 cup puffed corn or a gluten free cereal with different grains ( I used one from Mothers called Natures' Path Organic Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise- Gluten Free: it was on sale for $1 off)

½ cup raw sunflower seeds

1 cup sliced almonds

½ cup sprouted buckwheat

2 tablespoons flax seeds

¼ cup honey or I like to use brown rice syrup too

¼ cup fruit sugar (found in health food stores) optional

1 ounce canola margarine

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup dried raisins or ¼ cup dried cranberries, chopped or any dried fruit of choice

¼ cup nutritional yeast (optional)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread the first six ingredients on a thinly greased cookie sheet, and toast in oven, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes, until just barely browned for a total of 10 to 15 minutes.
• While the ingredients are toasting, place the honey, fruit sugar, margarine, vanilla, nutritional yeast and salt in a large saucepan over medium heat, so that there will be enough room to put the dry ingredients once they are toasted. Stir, until butter is melted and sugar is completely dissolved.
• Reduce heat to low, and add the toasted dry ingredients, plus the fruit, tossing until everything is well coated.
• Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Transfer mixture into a greased 9x9 inch square baking dish, pushing everything down until well packed. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove, cool it completely, then cut into squares with a sharp knife.
• Package them individually with some seran wrap or place into plastic containers, great for kids lunches or a mid day snack for energy and protein.

Enjoy!

I made 2 batches, this one was the one with peanuts and no cacao powder