Elevate Your Snacking Game with Wholesome Zesty Granola Bars

In a world filled with snack options laden with unpronounceable ingredients, prioritizing your health means opting for nourishing choices. Convenience often leads us to grab processed snacks, but dedicating time to craft wholesome alternatives is an investment in your well-being. Enter the Zesty Granola Bars – my go-to snack featuring only real, identifiable ingredients.

Why Zesty Granola Bars? Many store-bought granola bars are riddled with questionable additives. If you struggle to pronounce an ingredient, it's likely best left untouched. The Zesty Granola Bars recipe, on the other hand, is a testament to simplicity and nutrition. Packed with high-quality fats, fiber, and protein, these bars keep you satisfied and fueled.

The Power of Preparation: I prefer making a batch of granola bars in advance, conveniently storing them in the refrigerator. Having these wholesome bars readily available curbs the temptation to indulge in less nutritious snacks. This minor adjustment translates to significant strides in making healthier daily choices.

Craft Your Zesty Granola Bars:

Yields about 52 bars 1″x 1″ in size

Ingredients
-rolled oats, 1.5 cup
-almond, 1 cup, rough chop
-cranberry, 0.5 cup*
-orange zest, half an orange*
-sea salt, 0.25 tsp
-dates, 1 cup, deseeded
-raw honey, 0.25 cup*
-tahini paste, 0.25 cup*
-vanilla extract, 0.5 tsp

Equipment needed
-mixing bowl
-Microplane to zest fruit
-food processor
-saucepan
-spatula or spoon
-baking sheet
-cutting board
-knife

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large mixing bowl add rolled oats, almond, cranberry, orange zest, salt, mix thoroughly then set aside.
3. Add dates to food processor, mix until it forms a gooey ball, then set aside.
4. Heat saucepan to medium heat then add honey, tahini, vanilla, stir occasionally until mixed thoroughly. Turn down heat if mixture starts bubbling.
5. Turn heat to low, add food processed dates to saucepan and stir dates thoroughly into mixture with spoon for a couple minutes or until integrated.
6. Transfer saucepan mixture to large mixing bowl containing oats and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or your hands. The best method is to wet your hands with a little water to prevent stickiness.
7. Transfer mixture to a baking sheet and use hands to mold it into a rectangular shape about ¼ of an inch in thickness.
8. Bake in oven 7 to 10 minutes.
9. Cool granola for about 1 hour to allow it to bind together. *
10. Slice granola into squares to a size of your liking. I sliced my bars to about 1 inch in height and width.

Notes*
1. A substitute for dried cranberries can be any dried fruit of your liking.
2. A substitute for half an orange would be half a lemon. Zest means to use a Microplane tool in order to remove the skin from the citrus fruit.
3. A substitute for raw honey can be maple syrup. If you don’t want that much sweetness you can use about 2 to 3 Tbs instead of 0.25 cups.
4. A substitute for tahini paste can be any nut butter of your liking (e.g. almond butter, cashew butter, etc.)
5. A different method of cooling the granola would be to wait until the baking sheet is no longer hot then put the baking sheet into the refrigerator to allow the granola to cool faster, about 40 minutes.
6. As an optional ingredient, you can add between 1 to 3 Tbs of unrefined coconut oil in step 4 of the directions.

Allergen Info
Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, contains nuts, contains seeds

Embark on a journey to redefine your snacking habits. Elevate your nutrition with Zesty Granola Bars – a small yet impactful change for a healthier, more fulfilling lifestyle.

For ongoing insights into achieving optimal health through food and nutrition, subscribe to my Health Newsletter.