Tag Archives: snack bars

Chocolate Chip Quinoa Snack Bars

January 20, 2015

IMG_1143In my never ending quest for new snack options for my boys, I have tried some strange combinations.  It can be so hard to find something they like that is not loaded with sugar or additives.  Making my own snacks can be a good option but I don’t always have the time for complicated recipes.  I was so happy when I saw this recipe for Quinoa Bars from My Whole Foods Life .  It was easy and had very few but yummy ingredients.  I love quinoa- every cup has 8 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber and is a good source of manganese, magnesium, folate, phosphorous and B vitamins.  It is a gluten free seed with some serious nutrition!  I had never tried quinoa flakes before so was curious to see what they were like.  I bought Ancient Harvest Quinoa Flakes.  They were so nutty and yummy that I used them again this am in some chia seed pudding.  I could see a lot of uses for them!

I wanted to make a few tweaks to the recipe but pretty much left it as it was designed.  I decided to add some chocolate chips to these bars to entice my boys to eat them.  I really like Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips because they taste like regular chocolate chips but are gluten, soy and dairy free- so yummy!  Finally, I had a weird assortment of nut butters that I cobbled together because I didn’t have much of any particular type.  I used  Mara Natha All Natural Roasted Almond Butter, Maranatha Cashew Butter and a tiny bit of a local pumpkin seed butter.

The recipe from My Whole Foods Life was for raw bars but I wanted to try to bake them to see if I could get them to hold together better.  (I often find my raw bars tend to be crumbly.)  I wasn’t sure if it would help but decided to give it a shot.

IMG_1142

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Chocolate Chip Quinoa Snack Bars

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups quinoa flakes
  • 1 heaping cup almond butter (I used a combination of almond, cashew and pumpkin)
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup (you could substitute honey)
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 cup of chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Place quinoa flakes in bowl with cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Heat nut butters, syrup, coconut oil and vanilla over low fire until well combined.
  4. Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
  5. Add chocolate chips. They will melt if you don't allow the dough to cool. I like them melted so didn't cool the dough.
  6. Spread dough in 8X8 parchment lined pan.
  7. Press down firmly to compress the dough.
  8. Place in oven for 20-25 minutes depending on your oven.
  9. Allow to cool and then enjoy.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/chocolate-chip-quinoa-snack-bars/

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Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Glo Bar Obsession

May 22, 2014
Glo Bars all ready to eat.

Glo Bars all ready to eat.

About  a week ago, I picked up Angela Liddon’s The The Oh She Glows Cookbook: Over 100 Vegan Recipes to Glow from the Inside Out
.  Since then I have become totally obsessed with making recipes out of this book.  Now, neither I nor my family are vegan but it has not mattered.  Everything I have made from this book has been super yummy!  As I have stated before, I am always on the hunt for healthier snack bars to feed my family so when I saw the recipe for her Glo Bars, I knew I had to make them.  Usually I make some substitutions or additions to recipes but these sounded so good I made no changes.

Oats and crispy rice cereal- the two main components of the bars.

Oats and crispy rice cereal- the two main components of the bars.

These bars were very easy and required very little time spent actually cooking- right up my alley.  These bars are gluten free, no bake, refined sugar and oil free- yummy!!

Finished bars.

Finished bars.

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Glo Bar Obsession

Ingredients

  • 1 1?2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1 1?4 cups rice crisp cereal
  • 1?4 cup hemp seeds
  • 1?4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1?4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • 1?2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1?4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 1?2 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, brown rice syrup
  • 1?4 cup roasted peanut butter or almond butter (I used almond butter.)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1?4 cup mini non-dairy chocolate chips (such as Enjoy Life brand) (optional)

Instructions

  1. Combine ingredients through sea salt in a large bowl.
  2. Place brown rice syrup and nut butter on the stove until begins to liquefy.
  3. Watch carefully and stir frequently.
  4. Pour hot liquids over the dry ingredients.
  5. Stir well till all dry ingredients are coated with syrup mixture.
  6. Stir in chocolate chips after mixture cools a bit. (I got impatient and stirred them in before it was cool and the chips melted a little. Fortunately, I like having the chocolate distributed throughout the bars!)
  7. Spread mixture in parchment lined pan and put in fridge until hardens.
  8. Once hard, take out of pan by lifting from parchment paper edges.
  9. Use pizza cutter to cut into bars.
  10. Store uneaten portions in the fridge.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/glo-bar-obsession/

My son on as a sous chef!

My son on as a sous chef!

Eat up!

Eat up!

Enjoy these tasty bars!

This post shared with The Nourishing Gourmet, A Glimpse Inside, The Idea Room, Food Renegade, Urban Naturale, Hello Veggy and Homespun Oasis.

 

 

Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Dark Chocolate Covered Seed and Nut Bars

May 14, 2014
Finished bars all ready to eat.

Finished bars all ready to eat.

It has suddenly gotten amazingly hot and sunny here in the Pacific Northwest.  I LOVE IT!  I am a total sun girl- everything seems better with a little  sun!  The only bummer is our house gets incredibly hot as the day goes on.  As the mercury rises, trying to avoid further heating of  the house with cooking becomes a consuming obsession.  Imagine my joy when I came upon these amazing raw seed and nut bars from This Rawsome Vegan Life while surfing Pintrest (you can find me here on Pintrest).

All the yummies that make up these awesome bars.

All the yummies that make up these awesome bars.

 

These bars have everything you could possibly need for a little pick me up in a busy day.  Healthy sugar from organic dates and raisins, omega-3’s from chia seeds, walnuts and flax seeds and protein from all those seeds and nuts.   Pumpkin seeds further contribute to the omega-3’s but they also give a much need boost of zinc (read here about the benefits of zinc.).The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) in the coconut oil provide a blast of increase energy expenditure compared to the same amount of calories from longer chain fats.  And, of course, I couldn’t resist adding a dark chocolate covered topping to increase my antioxidant exposure.  (Read more about the benefits of dark chocolate here.

Dark chocolate squares melting in double broiler.

Dark chocolate squares melting in double broiler.

I put the dark chocolate squares on the stove in a makeshift double broiler while I started the grinding of the seeds and nuts in the food processor.  After the nuts and seeds resembled a course crumb, I gradually added the raisins and dates.  Mixing this all together required some time, with multiple stops to scrape down the sides of the food processor.  I used roughly 2 tbs of coconut oil but you will have to judge the stickiness of your own dough.  The moisture content of the dates and raisins seems to impact how sticky the dough becomes.

All the ingredients before being ground.

All the ingredients before being ground.

 

Melting chocolate for the topping.

Melting chocolate for the topping.

Bars with melted chocolate ready to go to the fridge to harden.

Bars with melted chocolate ready to go to the fridge to harden.

Finished bars.

Finished bars.

These were super easy to whip up and so tasty!  I think they might be my new favorite bar!

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Dark Chocolate Covered Seed and Nut Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/3 cup chia seeds
  • 1/3 cup ground flax seeds
  • 1/3 cup hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup cacao nibs
  • 1/4 cup coconut flakes
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup dates
  • 1-2 tablespoons melted coconut oil, if needed
  • 4 Dark chocolate squares for topping.

Instructions

  1. Melt dark chocolate over double broiler on the stove.
  2. Put all ingredients except raisins, coconut oil and dates in food processor.
  3. Process until you have a course crumb mixture.
  4. Add raisins and dates.
  5. Process until dough starts sticking together.
  6. Add coconut oil as needed to help with sticking.
  7. Put dough in parchment lined pan.
  8. Use your hands to press to uniform depth throughout the pan.
  9. Pour melted chocolate over top of bars.
  10. Spread chocolate.
  11. Put bars in fridge for about an hour.
  12. Once firm and chocolate hardens, take out and cut.
  13. Store in fridge.
  14. Enjoy!
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/dark-chocolate-covered-seed-and-nut-bars/

Share a link to your favorite bar recipe!

This post was shared with Gluten Free Homemaker, A glimpse Inside, Homespun Oasis, The Nourishing Gourmet, Rock My Vegan Socks, Food Renegade,  Today’s Creative Blog  and Live Laugh Rowe..

Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars

March 19, 2014
Finished Bars.

Finished Bars.

 

In our house, I am always looking for the easy grab and go snack for my active family.  As I have moved through this journey towards healthier eating for me and my family, I have been appalled at some of the ingredients listed on food boxes- especially foods marketed towards kids.  My kids love their snack bars so I like to try to develop recipes that appeal to their desire for a bar but without all the extra “special” ingredients of commercial bars.  With these Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars, I think I have scored a winner.

They are crunchy, chewy, chocolaty, nutty mounds of goodness with tons of healthy omega-3’s, protein and other vitamins and minerals.  And best of all they have no “mystery” ingredients that you need a science degree to pronounce!

Chopped and roasted pistachios.

Chopped and roasted pistachios.

In this bar, I have used both quinoa, a seed most people are familiar with and millet, a grain most people aren’t familiar with eating.  (Even though people in Europe have been eating it for centuries, most Americans will only recognize it as one of the ingredients in bird seed.)  I like to add millet to baked goods because it is a gluten free, high protein, high fiber grain that adds a little crunch to whatever I am whipping up.  Millet is high in amino acids, B-complex vitamins including niacin, folate, thiamine, and riboflavin, and is high in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, and potassium. It also is a good source of calcium and zinc.  However, if the thought of eating “bird food” makes you squeamish or can’t find millet, you can  replace it with quinoa or another of your favorite grains.

Oat mixture before the almond butter.

Oat mixture before the almond butter.

 

Oat mixture combined with the almond butter mixture.

Oat mixture combined with the almond butter mixture.

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Dark Chocolate Cherry Snack Bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup soaked uncooked old fashion oats
  • 1/4 cup soaked uncooked quinoa
  • 1/4 cup soaked uncooked cup of millet
  • 3/4 cup unsweetened dried cherries
  • 1/2 cup of salted dry roasted pistachios, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconut
  • 1/4 cup of hemp seeds
  • 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds
  • 1 ounce of dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of almond butter, smooth
  • 6 tablespoons of maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Instructions

  1. Soak oats, quinoa and millet for at least 6 hours but preferably overnight- (if you are going to soak).
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Drain oats, quinoa and millet and then spread on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake at least 10 minutes but until lightly brown. Stir to break up any clumps that form.
  5. Let cool.
  6. Place oat mixture in a large bowl and add the coconut, cherries, pistachios, flax meal, chocolate and hemp seeds.
  7. Combine the almond butter, coconut oil and maple syrup in a pot.
  8. Bring to a boil. Stirring constantly.
  9. Pour almond mixture over the oat mixture. Stir to combine.
  10. Press mixture into an 8x8 pan greased with coconut oil.
  11. Bake for 13 minutes or until lightly brown.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/dark-chocolate-cherry-snack-bars/

Finished product. Yum! Yum!

Finished product. Yum! Yum!

This post is part of a link-up party on Tip Junkie.

Filed Under: Blog, Snacks

Seven Seed Bars

March 15, 2014
Photo by Naomii on flickr.

Photo by Naomii on flickr.

One of the major bonuses of being in a Wholistic Nutrition program is having other students and teachers cook for you.  We have shared some seriously tasty meals in the year we have been in school.  In one of our beginning classes, the Wellspring teachers brought a snack bar that has become a stable in our house.  This bar is something I can cook up in a short amount of time and know the boys are getting some good, healthy nutrition in a grab and go package.  These bars do not hang around very long in our house.

Measured quinoa.

Measured quinoa.

 

Roasting macadamias and quinoa.

Roasting macadamias and quinoa.

 

Stirring up some seeded goodness!

Stirring up some seeded goodness!

 

Seven seed bars ready for consumption.

photo 3 (20)

 

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Seven Seed Bars

Ingredients

  • ½c quinoa toasted
  • 1 ½c almond butter
  • ½c maple syrup (I don't like mine really sweet, so I often short my 1/2 cup a little.)
  • ½c brown rice syrup or agave (I will also short this a little too.)
  • ¼tsp cardamom
  • ¼tsp cinnamon
  • ½c sunflower seeds toasted
  • ¾c pumpkin seeds toasted
  • ¼c hulled hemp seeds
  • ½c macadamia nuts toasted & chopped
  • ¼c cacao nibs (sometimes I leave these out, depending on if I have them or not)

Instructions

  1. Toast nuts and quinoa in 350 degree oven or on the stove top in a heavy pan.
  2. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  3. Mix almond butter, syrups and spices.
  4. Add all seeds.
  5. Mix well.
  6. Oil a 9x13 pan and spread batter evenly.
  7. Bake 15 minutes til golden brown.
  8. Cool before slicing.
  9. Stores well in the fridge for about a week but only if they don't all get eaten in the first hour.
http://www.nourishedrootspdx.com/blog/seven-seed-bars/

As you can see, these are an amazingly dense bar, packed with nutty nutrition.  These bars offer a high amount of protein in a small package.  Quinoa is a gluten free seed which is an excellent source of vegetarian protein.  It contains eight essential amino acids our body needs to thrive.  One cup has 5 grams of fiber and is an excellent source of manganese, potassium, copper, B6, phosphorous and thiamine.

Almonds have been recommended for years as a quick source of healthy protein.  They contain two essential brain nutrients, the amino acid, l-carnitine and riboflavin.  Both nutrients have been shown to increase brain activity.  Almonds help raise the HDL cholesterol, “good”  cholesterol, and lower the LDL (bad cholesterol) in the body.  They also contain high levels of phosphorous with helps build strong bones and teeth.

Depending on the other nuts or seeds you choose to use in this recipe, you can create a nutritional powerhouse for your own family based on the flavors and textures they enjoy.

This post shared with Gluten Free Homemaker.

 

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Filed Under: Blog, Snacks