Characteristics

This recipe provides a delicious, chewy, and highly nutritious homemade energy/granola bar. These bars provide us with optimally healthy ingredients and superfoods resulting in nutrient-dense calories. They are loaded with healthy carbohydrates, fats, and protein, as well as numerous vitamins and minerals. They are naturally low in sodium and cholesterol-free and offer an excellent amount of fiber. They can be enjoyed as a snack any time or side to your green smoothie.

TYPE: Snack
PREP TIME: ~ 10 mins
SERVINGS: depends on cut sizes, fills a 9 X 13-inch pan/dish

  • Raw
  • 100% Plant-Based / Vegan
  • Whole Food
  • Wheat-free
  • Gluten-free
  • Soy-free
  • Peanut-free* (depending on your choice of ingredients)
  • Nut-free* (depending on your choice of ingredients)
  • Oil-free

Goodies Needed

TOOLS:

Preparation Steps

  1. Place the nut or seed butter and ½ cup of your choice of syrup into the pot, and begin heating on low heat, stirring, until uniformly melted and runny.
  2. Stir in the oats and continue to heat for a few minutes (3 to 5), stirring thoroughly. Add in a little more syrup if needed, if the mixture is too thick and difficult to mix.
  3. Remove from the heat and add in all of the remaining ingredients. Mix everything thoroughly. The mixture should be a blend of dry and sticky where all ingredients mesh together.
  4. Transfer the mixture to your glass dish and using your spatula spread evenly and press down firmly, packing in the mixture as tightly as you can.
  5. Place the dish into the refrigerator or freezer for a few hours (2 to 4) and then remove to cut up into bars and enjoy.
  6. Store the bars in a covered dish in the refrigerator or freeze for future use.

Notes and Tips

  • The flavor of these bars will greatly depend on the nut or seed butter you use and the type of syrup you use. Each one has a distinctly different flavor.
  • You can swap sunflower seeds or hemp seeds for pumpkin seeds if desired or preferred.
  • You can use finely chopped dates instead of raisins if desired or preferred.

Meal Nutritional Benefits

Oats

  • provide healthy carbohydrates, fiber, and protein, and are naturally low in fat
  • provide phytonutrients and antioxidants
  • provide vitamins, specifically most B vitamins
  • provide minerals, especially manganese, molybdenum, selenium, phosphorus, chromium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and copper
  • support optimal health, weight, healing, and prevention
  • support cardiovascular and digestive health
  • support healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels
  • for more info, refer to the oats overview on World’s Healthiest Foods
  • Health Tips: Avoid processed oat-containing foods, like sugary granola bars. Choose organic oats, as conventional oats are at high-risk of glyphosate contamination. Choose organic stone-ground oat flours for highest safety and nutrient integrity.

Almonds / Almond Butter

  • provide healthy fats, protein, some carbohydrates, and fiber
  • provide phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory benefits
  • provide vitamins, especially vitamin A, E, and most B vitamins, including folate
  • provide minerals, especially potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, and manganese
  • support optimal health, weight, healing, and prevention
  • support healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels
  • protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes type 2, osteoporosis, and other diseases
  • for more information, visit the almonds detailed overview from World’s Healthiest Foods
  • Tips: Choose organic and raw almonds and almond butter, as conventional almonds and roasted almonds have pesticide, toxin, and other health concerns.

Maple Syrup

  • provides mostly simple carbohydrates (sugars) and about 20% fewer calories than honey
  • provides antioxidants and phytonutrients
  • provides trace amounts of B vitamins
  • provides minerals, especially manganese, zinc, calcium, iron, potassium, copper, and magnesium
  • serves as a good, natural sweetener option, which provides some nutrition and health benefits
  • for more info, see the maple syrup overview on organicfacts.net

Sunflower Seeds

  • provide healthy fats, protein, some carbohydrates, and fiber
  • provide an excellent source of omega-6 fatty acids
  • provide phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory benefits
  • provide vitamins, especially vitamin A, C, E, and most B vitamins
  • provide minerals, especially phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc
  • support optimal health, weight, healing, and prevention
  • support healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels
  • protect against cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes type 2, and other diseases
  • for more info, see the sunflower seed overview on World’s Healthiest Foods

Hemp Seeds

  • excellent source of healthy fats (35%) and protein (25%)
  • provide healthy carbohydrates and fiber
  • excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, including an optimal omega-3 to omega-6 ratio (1:3)
  • provide phytonutrients, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits
  • provide vitamins, especially vitamin A and E, and some B vitamins
  • provide minerals, especially phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and zinc
  • support optimal health, weight, healing, and prevention
  • support healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels
  • protect against heart disease, cancers, diabetes type 2, and other chronic diseases
  • for more information, visit the hemp seed health benefits from Organic Facts

Raisins

  • provide healthy carbohydrates, fiber, protein, and are virtually fat-free
  • provide lots of phytonutrients, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory benefits
  • provide vitamins, especially vitamin C, K, and most of the B vitamins
  • provide minerals, especially potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and iron
  • support optimal health, energy, weight, healing, and prevention
  • support the nervous, immune, and digestive systems
  • protect against cardiovascular disease, including cholesterol and blood pressure problems
  • for more info, see the raisins overview on Nutrition-and-You

Vanilla

  • provides antioxidants and phytonutrients, like vanilloids, and has anti-inflammatory benefits
  • provides some B vitamins
  • provides some minerals, especially manganese, potassium, copper, and magnesium
  • supports healing, prevention, and overall health
  • supports cardiovascular and nervous system health
  • for more information, visit the vanilla overview from Nutrition-and-You.com Tips: Use the vanilla bean directly or choose pure, natural, and organic vanilla extracts. Avoid synthetic vanilla and similar artificial vanilla products.

Cinnamon

  • not a significant source of calories or macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein)
  • provides lots of phytonutrients, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties
  • provides vitamins, including vitamin A, K, and some B vitamins
  • provides minerals, especially calcium, potassium, and iron
  • supports optimal health, weight, healing, and prevention
  • supports optimal digestion and immune protection
  • supports healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels
  • protects against cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes type 2, and other diseases
  • for more info, see the cinnamon overview on World’s Healthiest Foods