I decided to try my hand at making my own, and scouting around I found a really great recipe original to Faith and Family magazine and reposted on several blogs. It appears to be fairly healthy, with whole wheat flour and oats and sweetened with honey, which doesn’t affect the blood sugar as badly as honey. A bonus when you make your own is the lack of high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, and you can literally whip up these bars in minutes.

When they are cool, cut and wrap individual bars in wax paper and pop them in the lunch boxes. Or, you know, eat them all in one day. (I’m not telling which happened in my house!)

Homemade Granola Bars Recipe

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour, or spelt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter, softened*
1 cup honey

Add-ins: 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped walnuts, peanut butter, soy butter, cocoa powder. Other options include dried fruits, sunflower seeds, coconut, nuts.

Lightly butter a 9×13-inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and honey first. Then add all ingredients except add-ins. Beat hard until combined. Stir in add-ins. Press mixture into pan — really jam it in there – use your hands so your bars don’t fall apart.  (Note – I FORGOT to add the flour and then had to pull the batter back out of the pan, and when I did add it in, it was very wet and sticky, so I added another 1/2 cup of flour – which made the bars very dry. I thought that the batter needed to be less moist in order to stick together – don’t make that mistake.) Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving.

Also try this Homemade Granola recipe with Grape Nuts and raisins.

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How to Make Your Own Granola Bars

• Yogurt – many popular brands of yogurt contain as much sugar as ice cream. Some have added cereals and chocolate chips. Instead, start with a plain version and add your own flavors with whole fruit. If you need a sweetener, a small amount of honey or agave syrup can add a great deal of flavor. Greek yogurt is one of my personal favorites!

• Granola – this popular cereal choice can be very high in saturated fats and calories. Make your own granola and you can control the ingredients, adding more healthy choices. You can even mix the granola in with your plain yogurt for a delicious treat!

• Granola Bars – many of these are glorified candy bars with added sugar and in some cases, coated with chocolate. Why not make your own granola bars with your homemade granola?

• Fruit Leather/Strips/Chewies/Fruit Snacks – Many of these choices are not fruit at all but concoctions with large amounts of corn syrup and food coloring. Instead, look for real dried fruit or 100% fruit leather.  (Be sure to brush your teeth really well after!)

• Bottled Water – believe it or not, even bottled water can be a detriment to your healthy eating endeavors. Many bottled waters have added sugar and juice. We waste tons of calories every day on liquids, and drinks that are fortified with vitamins and minerals are unnecessary – you get most of what you need from your daily intake. Plain water is all you need, but if it’s not appealing, add a squeeze of lemon or lime juice or some fresh fruit.

• Whole Wheat Bread – make sure that your bread choice is 100% whole wheat or whole grain and not merely bleached flour with caramel color added.

It’s easy to get tripped up when you are trying to eat healthy. Read food labels and remain vigilant with your choices.

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Don’t be Fooled by Healthy Food Imposters

Each one packs Kashi’s signature Seven Whole Grains and protein mix and they contain no high fructose corn syrup, sugar or trans-fats.

Our favorite is the pumpkin pie. It tastes exactly like the smoothness of a slice of the real thing with just the perfect combination of cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

Each bar contains about 120 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.

These delish bars are perfect for a pre- or post-workout snack or when the need for something sweet (but not naughty) arises.

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We Love Kashi’s TLC Fruit and Grain Bars