Growing up I was never one of those kids that bought lunch at school. Throughout elementary and through high school I always brought my lunch from home in one of those classic brown paper bags. This definitely had its pros and cons. Pros? My parents always made sure that I had a nutritious, well-balanced lunch which usually consisting of a peanut butter and jelly (or honey mmmm) sandwich, a granny-smith apple, some kind of snack for recess and a juice box. Cons? I was not usually the person with a snack with 'high trade value'. I did sport a fruit roll up every once and a while but you better believe I didn't trade that baby.
One thing I can appreciate now is the fact that my parents did do an amazing job of providing me with a well-balanced lunch each day. I remember going to the grocery store and trying to persuade them to get a ton of junk but still, they stuck to their wits and rarely gave way to my ridiculous snack ideas. Now, because of the foundation that my parents have given me, I try and buy the healthier foods and snacks...but of course, you might find me sporting a fruit roll-up here and there because they are so darn delicious.
Granola bars are a GREAT snack food. They are filling and the oats offer a great, quick source of fibre. One thing that people should really watch out for when purchasing granola bars is that well...they might be the nutritional equivalent of a candy bar. According to Leslie Beck (Globe and Mail), "...many brands miss the mark when it comes to nutrition. With such ingredients as marshmallows, chocolate chips, fudge, caramel and chocolate or yogurt coating, many resemble candy bars. President’s Choice Dipped and Chewy Caramel granola bar, for example, has 15 grams of sugar – almost four teaspoons worth – thanks to the addition of sugar, glucose, glucose-fructose, fructose, honey and molasses"
An easy way to avoid intaking more sugar or fat than you are anticipating in a granola bar is just to read the label of the box. When reading, make sure that you read the serving size and especially look at the sugar and fat content in each!
Some great comparisons are found here:
If you have time.... MAKE YOUR OWN! It is a great way to control what is being put in them which offers a lot of benefits,
- You can customize each batch, catering to your own preferences!
- I find that it is a lot cheaper. I buy the ingredients in bulk so that I always have a lot on hand and I can make them on whenever I want!
- You can avoid adding too much of a bad thing (sugars, fat etc)
For this recipe, I was inspired by heathy living revelations protein granola bars. I have adapted it for my own taste buds and omitted the protein powder because well, I only have chocolate flavour and I think it would taste a little weird with the other ingredients I've added!
Puffed
Quinoa Granola Bars
1.5 cup of oats
1 cup of
a puffed cereal
1 tbsp
cinnamon
3 beaten
egg whites
1/2 cup
unsweetened applesause
1/4 cup craisins (unsweetened)
¼ cup
chopped, dried, pitted dates
1. Preheat your oven to 325F.
2. Line a baking pan with either
parchment paper or foil sprayed with cooking spray.
3. Mix your dry ingredients (oats,
cereal, dates, craisins and cinnamon).
4. In a separate bowl, combine all the
other ingredients
5. Add them together, mix well, and form
into your pan. Level the mixture to ensure even baking.
6. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown on top
7. Cut into elongated bars. I usually store mine in the fridge so that they keep longer :)
ENJOY!
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