The BEST Granola/Protein Bars

So, this summer my son, Gavin, went gluten free. It was a great transition but left me needing to plan ahead for a smooth journey when it came to “back to school” time! Gavin gets on the bus every morning around 6:40. He is not hungry for breakfast that early in the morning but is ravenous by the time he gets to school. Of course there are no gluten free options available for breakfast at school. So, the wheels started turning.

I needed to figure out something that he could take with him for breakfast to eat when he was hungry. It needed to be healthy, gluten free, filling/satisfying, something that could be eaten cold, feasible for on the go AND had to taste good! Granola bars are fast, easy and an “on the go” item but are full of total crap! Sugars, unhealthy ingredients, gluten, preservatives, just like about every other thing that comes in a box from a conventional grocery store shelf. I began playing around with different recipes and ideas. This is what I came up with! The best thing is that it is a “make it your way” sort of recipe! Hope you enjoy these as much as everyone in this house! (Even my picky husband likes these!)

Ingredients

1 Cup Almond Butter-you can use peanut butter or any other nut or seed butter but keep in mind that peanuts are not a nut, they are a legume and much less healthy than almond butter

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup raw slow cooked organic gluten free rolled oats

1 cup total of your favorite add ins! Example, almonds, walnut, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, raw coconut, dried fruit of any kind, hemp hearts etc.

Directions

Combine almond butter, honey and coconut oil in a small saucepan and heat on low to medium heat stirring until smooth and mixed together well. In a separate bowl mix together your one cup of oats and 1 cup total of whatever yummies that you choose. *Note-if you would like to make these high protein, add in hemp hearts!!!! Just 3 tablespoons adds 10 grams of protein and a load of other healthy benefits! Add your saucepan of ingredients to your bowl of dry ingredients. Mix well. Should be somewhat sticky.

Lightly grease an 8 x 8 pan. I used coconut oil for my pan. Press mixture into a pan and refrigerate for 2 hours.

When firm, take them out and cut into whatever size you desire. I then wrap them individually in plastic wrap and I put them in the freezer.

They can also be stored in the refrigerator. Don’t leave them room temperature. They will fall apart. I often do this in double batches. If doing a double batch use a 9 x 13 inch pan.

WARNING: These are EXTREMELY addictive!!! ENJOY!!!