What better time to get the kids in the kitchen than while in quarantine, am I right? That is…during the moments where they aren’t driving you crazy and your patience is strong.
The kiddles really do love to help and it is so sweet to see their pride in their culinary creations. A friend of mine brought some of these delicious granola bars she had made and shared the recipe with me a couple of years ago. I did a little bit of tweaking to make it work with what I had on hand, and out came Power Bars. These nutrient-packed bars make for a delicious, energy packed snack, giving our sluggish selves just the energy boost we needed, while satisfying our sweet tooths (teeth?). The kids LOVE that they are called Power Bars, and in fact, got re-dubbed “Super” Power Bars because they make them run and leap and drive Mom wild with such super power strength (hey, they are packed with fiber, omega 3 from the flax seed, and protein that any super hero would need to do their super hero thang).
Want to know one more perk of these easy bars? They are no bake! Just refrigerate for at least an hour, then cut them up and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. They are perfect for snacks, throwing in school lunches (whenever we get to do that again..), or a wholesome source of nutrition on the go.
Allergy Alert: These bars contain peanuts and tree nuts
Homemade Power Bars (adapted from Super Healthy Kids.com’s recipe)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup oats, dry
1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped cashews (depending on how cashew-y you like it)
1/2 cup finely chopped almonds
1/3 cup ground flax seed (make sure you get ground..)
1/2 cup chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup peanut butter, melted in the microwave
1/2 cup honey
Directions:
1) Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper. You can also use a 9 x 13 pan for thinner bars. Make sure you leave excess paper on the sides so you can easily lift it up from the pan once you pack your mixture in. Set aside.
2) Combine oats, finely chopped nuts, ground flax seed, chocolate chips, and sea salt in a large bowl.
3) Melt peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl, I put mine in for about 1 minute and that did the trick.
4) Add honey to peanut butter and mix well.
5) Pour honey/peanut butter mixture into large bowl with rest of ingredients, stirring into completely mixed.
6) Pack mixture into the parchment-paper lined pan and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour.
7) When chilled, lift parchment paper from pan with mixture, slice into bars, and store in an airtight container. You can store at room temp for up to 10 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks (I personally enjoy them cold..).
If you have a few minutes one day, give them a try! Just a few minutes will set you up with a nutritious treat for anytime hunger sets in during the week. Let me know how they work for you!
Until next time!
~Elissa
