An Energy Bar Without Honey, Peanut Butter, or Too Much Sugar!
Hunger Busters
The Commercial Brands Are Too Sweet For Me
Energy Bars Are Great
One of the biggest problems most of us on a diet face is the question of what to eat. We find most food recommended to us just does not keep us full and we end up constantly being hungry. If you are a diabetic, you too will know what I mean. Yes, we can snack on nuts and grains and the occasional celery stick or carrot just does not seem to keep the hunger at bay.
Energy bars are the best answer. They can keep me full for a longer period and allow me to take it with me wherever I go. My problem was simply that most energy bars sold commercially was just too sweet for my taste. Every time I took a bite, I tasted the sweetness and really felt that it was bad for me.
Energy bars are usually a combination of grains and dried fruits that are combined with some sort of sugar like honey, peanut butter or caramel to hold everything together. A little experimenting on my own lead me to the recipe below that is less sweet and more tasty that the commercial brands.
I like to call these my Oatmeal Energy Bars.
Oatmeal Energy Bars
Quantity
| Ingredients
| Notes
|
|---|---|---|
2 1/2 cups
| Quick Cooking Oats
| Gronala mix can be used too.
|
2 cups
| Basic Cookie Mix
| About 1 box standard size. Look for those with low sugar.
|
1 cup
| Dried Mixed Fruits
| Any dried fruit, chopped small
|
1
| Egg
| |
3/4 cup
| Butter
| |
1/4 cup
| Cold water
| |
1 teaspoon
| Vanilla extract
|
Method
1. Heat your oven to 350 degrees F ( 180 degrees C).
2. Mix your dried fruits with the Basic Cookie Mix. Use your fingers to separate the fruits bits if they are sticking together.
Note: You can add chopped nuts too if you like the crunch. The only rule here is that there are No Rules. Custom make your bars according to what you like and what is available. Low sugar dark chocolate chips are nice too.
3. Mix in the oats. Beat the egg and add it to the mixture. The mixture will feel dry but don't worry.
4. Melt the butter and add it to the mixture. Mix well. I love to use my hands for this.
5. Add in the cold water and the vanilla extract. Mix well. The mixture should resemble a soft dough. Use your hands and knead the dough lightly to get everything well distributed.
6. Press the dough into a lightly buttered baking tray. I like my bars to be at least 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick.
7. With a sharp knife (I like to use a pizza cutter!), cut the dough into bars.
8. Bake for about 35 minutes until golden. Allow to cool before serving.
Oats - The Good Stuff
The Other Options
Once you have tried this energy bar you will realise that you can make changes according to your taste. I for one, love raisins and cranberries and I use more of this. Cranberries are also good for diabetic patients and my husband benefits from this.
If you are making a bar for the kids, perhaps more chocolate chips would be an option. You can also press in chocolate rice on the top of the car or even coloured sprinkles to make it more attractive. These bars can keep the hunger at bay and prevent kids from snacking while waiting for dinner to be ready!
