Homemade Granola Bars for Energy and Brain Health
Homemade Granola Bars for Energy and Brain Health
Homemade Granola Bars
This original recipe for these homemade granola bars came from Raw Food Real World. The book was written in 2005 and believe me, I am all over the unprocessed, raw recipes even today! Today’s culture tries so hard to lure us into packaged processed foods, however, we really can’t beat the nutrition that God gives us through raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not vegan or vegetarian, I just appreciate the live enzymes in good raw foods.
I modified the recipe slightly, as there were certain ingredients that I preferred from the original recipe. Also, I like to make smaller batches so that I can customize the homemade granola bars to adjust to seasonal foods. If berries aren’t available for example, you may replace with cocoa nibs or dehydrated apples. This recipes lends itself to variety, especially with the nuts and fruit. If you decide not to form bars, this recipe also makes a great crumble, as loose granola or cereal. As a cereal, pair it with almond or pumpkin seed milk- yum!
Nutritional Benefits
According to Medical News Today, eating more nuts and seeds may be good for the brain, as these foods contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants. Additionally, as a person ages, their brain may be exposed to a form of oxidative stress. Therefore, healthy fats in nuts and nutrients such as vitamin E in almonds, may support brain health in older age. Dates and dried fruit that are in this recipe, can help with extra energy boost you might need throughout the day. Fats, good carbs and protein are all packed into this delicious granola bar!
Before making these awesome granola bars, you need to think about soaking the seeds and nuts in the recipe. I would use raw seeds and nuts and soak them according to this chart before going to step one.
Making the granola bars
1. Mix together all of the first 9 ingredients (apple, dates, maple syrup, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon and salt) in a food processor until smooth.
First ingredients
2. Remove smooth mixture and place into a large bowl. Put remaining 5 ingredients into the food processor (no need to wash processor from step 1). Pulse a few times to break up the nuts but not too much to keep the texture chunky.
Pulse nuts a few times
3. Combine nuts with smooth nut mixture. Add in the dried fruit either before or after this step.
Spread onto dehydrator trays, using the Tex Flex on the Excalibur Dehytrator, or a similar material.
Score bar size marks on your tray. Dehydrate for 6 hours at 115 degrees. Flip mixture and break into bar shapes. Dehydrate for an additional 8-10 hours or until desired crispyness. Store in glass containers and refrigerate or freeze.
Shopping List for ingredients (substitutes):
Cocao
Country Life Natural Foods is a great sources for raw nuts and seeds
Walnuts– raw and soaked (suggested substitute)
Sea Salt (I prefer this brand)
Optional add-in ingredients/resources:
Recommended Equipment:
Some links are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See more info here.
These homemade granola bars are a wonderful snack for brain power and energy throughout the day!
Ingredients
Ingredients to mix together to make smooth:
1 small apple
8 soft dates, remove the pits (use 10-12 soaked dates, if dates are dried and smaller)
1/4 c maple syrup
1 -2 Tbsp lemon juice
1-2 Tbsp of orange zest
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of sea salt
3 Tbsp of pumpkin seeds, raw and soaked for 2 hours or more
Roughly chopped:
1 cup of almonds (soaked according to chart in the blog https://lifeinthegreen.house/making-nut-or-seed-milks/)
1 cup of walnuts - soaked
1 cup of pecans - soaked
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds (raw and soaked for 2 hours or more)
1/2 c of your favorite dried fruit or cocao nibs (dried cranberries, figs, dried cherries or blueberries)
Instructions
1. Mix together all of the first 9 ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
2. Remove smooth mixture and place into a large bowl. Put remaining 5 ingredients into the food processor (no need to wash processor from step 1). Pulse a few times to break up the nuts but not too much to keep the texture chunky.
3. Combine nuts with smooth nut mixture. Spread onto dehydrator trays, using the Tex Flex on the Excalibur Dehytrator, or a similar material. Dehydrate for 6 hours at 115 degrees. Flip mixture and score into bar shapes. Dehydrate for an additional 8-10 hours or until desired crispyness. Store in glass containers and refrigerate or freeze.
Prep time: 15
Cook time: 2
Total time: 2.5
Servings:
Serving size: 1 bar
Meal type: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Sidedish, Appetizer, Raw
Special Equipment needed: food processor, dehydrator