No Bake Granola Bars!

Hey guys! Back at it again with another "Quarantine" snack for you!

Let's face it, during this time of home isolation, it is so easy to get into the habit of mindlessly snacking. By now you probably have gone through your whole stash of quarantine snacks...am I right or am I right? (I know I'm right) lol! However, in my last blog post I give you the BEST tips and tricks to help control your snacking itch, that helped me as well! So, if you haven't checked out that blog post I highly recommend it!

TODAY I will be sharing my healthy "No Bake Granola Bars!" This recipe is super flexible and is so dang delicious! These granola bars are soft and chewy with a small crunch! It is packed with healthy sources of carbs, fats and protein and to be honest, I think I found my new favorite wholesome snack!

This recipe makes 9 Granola Bars and each Bar contains 236 calories which is a great size snacks for any fitness journey! You will finish each bar feeling satisfied and energized!

What is in the Granola Bar?

Well the Bars I made this time are Peanut Butter Coconut Protein Bars and they have a variety of healthy ingredients!

---

Rolled Oats - One thing to always remember is that carbs are NOT the enemy and adding rolled oats provides a great source of carbs, protein, iron and potassium and so much more!! I will save the benefits of oatmeal for a later blog post I have planned. However, oats provide a great base to this recipe.

Soy Protein Powder - Don't you hate it when you make recipes with protein powder, and all you can taste is your protein powder? Well not this one! I use the Soy Protein Powder from Sprouts, but you can totally use your favorite vanilla falvored protein powder. I would never have this plain and by itself in a drink (I've made that mistake once and never again). However, it is a GREAT neutral flavor to bake or cook with! You absolutely don't taste the powder and it blends right in adding a great source of protein to this snack!

Cashews - I am obsessed with cashews when it comes to baking (or lets be honest...anytime)! I used unsalted raw cashews. In this recipe, to make the texture smoother, I ground up the cashews in my Ninja Bullet Blender for about 2-3 secs to make it almost, but not quite, powder with a few small pieces of cashews left. You can do the same in a food processor as well if you don't have a bullet blender. If you don't have either, you can crush them up with a knife into small pieces and they will do just fine! You can also do that method if you like a little more crunch in your bars! Cashews are a great source of fat, protein and iron in these granola bars!

Peanut Butter - I used PB in this recipe, but you can use whatever kind of nut butter you have at home! This recipe is really flexible and you can really alter it to your desired flavor profile! However, what ever kind of nut butter you use, as long as it is unsalted with no added sugar, will add a great addition to your granola bars adding a great source of fat and protein!

Shredded Coconut - Unsweetened shredded coconut is where it is at! Trust me, this recipe will come out the perfect amount of sweet and crunch! I used the Sprouts brand (because Sprouts is life). Unsweetened Coconut adds a great source of fat and fiber to these bars!

Flaxseed Meal - I absolutely LOVE adding this to protein shakes or as a topping on some meals! It really adds texture and a great source of healthy protein, fat, iron and calcium! If you don't have flaxseed meal don't worry! You can sub this with oat bran, chia seeds or almond meal. I'm telling you, my recipes can be super flexible!

Brown Rice Syrup - I used this because this acts as a great binding ingredient to the granola bars while adding a natural source of sugar and sweetness. Brown rice syrup is more mild when it comes to sweet and is a great vegan choice if you want to keep these bars vegan. In my granola bars, I like them to be sweet, but not too sweet, and brown rice syrup does just that for me! I personally find honey too sweet for me at times, however if you are a honey fan (and you are not vegan) you can sub brown rice syrup with honey or agave nectar syrup!

Salt - I used Pink Himalayan Salt due to it's many health benefits as opposed to Sea or Table salt. It has many minerals as well as calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium, making it slightly lower in sodium. However, whatever kind of salt you have will due to really help bring out the flavor of your granola bars!

---

If the mixture becomes too dry, you can add more syrup and/or Nut Butter, but DO NOT ADD WATER. This will make the mixture too liquidy and won't hold shape!

Without futher ado, here is the recipe! If you try this recipe, be sure to let me know what your think! Don't forget to tag me! Bon appétit!

Nutrition Facts according to MyFitnessPal: