Monday, January 30, 2012

For the Win

I’ve talked about my big little brother several times on the blog. You see, he is a growing boy who spends 5 hours a day playing basketball. That translates to lots of FOOD. In an effort to give him more healthy snack options, I’ve been trying to find a granola bar recipe he will really like. I’ve made a variety of different kinds using quinoa, pumpkin or just oats. But this time I tried to make it a bit more brother-friendly.


I found the original recipe over at Peas and Thank You. She was going for a home made version of the Clif Kid Z Bar. And as much as I appreciate Clif Bars being made without high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil or artificial colors, I still thought the nutrition facts could use a face lift.

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So with a little direction from Peas and Thank You and some of my own ideas, I created the new “Z Bar”.
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The New “Z” Barmakes about 10 bars
1/2 c. oats
3/4 c. wheat flour
1/4 c. protein powder (or flour if you don’t have any)
1/2 t. salt
1 T. baking powder
1/2 c. + 2 T. applesauce
1/2 c. + 2 T. almond milk
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. chocolate chips

In one bowl mix the flour, oats, protein powder, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and brown sugar. In a separate bowl mix the applesauce, milk, vanilla and honey. Combine both mixtures. I chose to just sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, but if you’d like to mix them in you can at this point.
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Spray an 8x8 pan and fill with the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. At that point it will look a bit golden and the edges will pull away from the sides of the pan. Let cool for 10 minutes or so, then cut into your bars. Enjoy!
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Here are the nutrition stats:
“Z” Bar: 120 calories, 3 grams protein, 11 grams sugar
The New “Z” Bar: 150 calories, 8 grams protein, 3 grams sugar
I think that’s definitely a win!

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