Fruit and Nut Natural Nutrition Bars

It wasn't until two weeks ago while running errands and feeling famished, that I stopped into Starbucks to get some iced green tea when I spotted Kind Bars, a fruit and nut natural nutritional bar.  Realizing that I didn't have time to stop and grab a bite anywhere, I decided to try one.  WOW!  They were fantastic with just the right amount of fruits, nuts, chew and satisfaction.  That little bar kept me full the rest of the afternoon.  I was shocked!

When I finally made it home my mission was to find a recipe for these.  I searched online and viewed a variety of recipes and even tried them, but none had the right combination of ingredients to keep them held together.  One claimed to be perfect and others had testified, but it had Brown Rice Syrup in it, an ingredient I recently wrote about.  So decided not to try this version.

Besides loving the flavor my main goal was to find a granola-like or nutrition bar that I could make to take while biking or hiking through the mountains where I'll be soon.  Typically I go on 3-4 hour bike rides and 4-5 hour hikes, so a nutritional bar is the perfect fix for a tired, hungry body in the middle of the mountains.  At $4+ a pop for a bar I'd prefer making my own, that is, if it's not going to take all day.

The first batch I made had all the right ingredients

BUT

just didn't hold together well.

The second batch I made, I added oats, 7-whole grain cereal and peanut butter, subbing out honey for Lyle's Golden Syrup..  This one turned out perfect.  If you're a fan of peanut butter, I think you'll like this.  Next time I'm going to try it with Lyle's Golden Syrup, a favorite of mine.

In addition, I chopped the nuts rather than leaving them whole, which only made it easier to slice but IMO looks prettier left in one piece.

I hope you like this quick, easy, tasty and nutritious bar.  It's a perfect snack when you're on the run!

Fruit & Nut Natural Nutrition Bars

serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats (I used Quaker Old Fashioned Oats)
¼ cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp almonds, chopped (I used slivered)
1 Tbsp pistachios, chopped
½ cup water
½ Kashi 7-Whole Grain Puffs
¾ cup creamy peanut butter (I used low sodium, organic)
½ cup honey (next time I'm using Lyle's Golden Syrup because I like it)
1 cup mixed dried fruit (I used, Plum Amazin's, strawberries and apricots), roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine oats, seeds, and nuts.  Spread onto a foil lined sheet pan, and bake until golden, about 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large saucepan bring water to a boil, then remove from the heat.  Add the Kashi cereal letting it absorb the water, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanut butter and honey, returning saucepan back to the stove on a  medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the fruit, oats, seeds and nuts into the peanut-butter mixture, blending all together with a rubber or silicone spatula, until ingredients are evenly coated.

4. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.  Pour the mixture into the pan, and using your spatula, press into a uniform thickness. 

5. Cover and move the pan to the refrigerator to chill for at least two hours.

6. Cut into 8 equal sized bars. Wrap individually in wax paper, tied with twine for traveling or enjoy straight from the refrigerator.

These bars will keep at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Note: Remember this is simply a blueprint of a recipe that worked for me.  Now you can tweak this recipe to suit your taste, or allergies, and make your own unique bar.  Please share your results.  I'd love to hear them.

ENJOY!!!