Snack Bars (recipe from Peace, Love and Fibre) 

Makes 24 bars

It’s 4:00 pm and you’re hungry, crabby and angry. If someone even dares to look at you the wrong way, having a full-blown tantrum a la a two-year-old seems like a normal option. You’re hangry; trust the Urban Dictionary to come up with that perfect new word.

These snack bars are loaded with soluble fibre which will help fill you up no matter what time of the day you eat them. Just remember that as you increase your fibre intake you need to increase your fluid intake, or you and your digestive system will be hangry at each other.

 

2 cups large flake oats

1 ½ cups oat bran, sometimes called oat bran cereal

1 cup whole grain barley flour or oat flour – available at most bulk stores

1 ½ cups ground flaxseed

1 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 ½ cup whole pitted dates or prunes

½ cup canola oil – use a glass measuring cup

¼ cup water – if you watched me make these on live IG I forgot this ingredient – which explains why it was so stiff

2 – omega-3 eggs

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 Tbsp natural cocoa powder

2 Tbsp cinnamon

1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract

 

  1. Make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Preheat to 375°F Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with wet parchment paper, make sure there is some overhang, you need to be able to pick up the cooked snack bars and you’ll need that overhang for grabbing. Wring it out well, and shake off excess water.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients: oat flakes, oat bran, flour, flaxseed and chocolate chips.
  3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade attachment, pulse the dates, oil, water, eggs, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon and vanilla. It will be noisy and depending on how old your food processor is, it might dance around on the counter. Puree until there are only small specks of dates visible.
  4. Add to the dry ingredients, use a rubber spatula to get as much of this date mixture out of the food processor and into the dry ingredients where they now belong. Stir using a large wooden spoon until it’s well combined and there are now visible signs of dry flour. Tip: I always end up using my hands, bonus all this mixing is great for building up wrist strength.
  5. The batter will be sticky so just plop it into the prepared pan, spread it out and then either lightly press down with the back of the spoon or dampen your hands, I usually rinse then first, and then lightly press the mixture down.
  6. Bake for 25-27 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes to set.
  7. Using the excess parchment paper on the sides lift the bar out of the pan and place on the wire rack, parchment paper and all. Let completely cool and then cut into 24 bars, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, or freeze up to 3 months. I like to wrap them up in waxed paper and then freeze them in bags. On a morning that I know I might get stuck anywhere around the witching hour aka 4 PM, I’ve got a healthy snack ready and waiting and calling my name.

 

Makes 24

One serving = 1 bar

Per Serving: 272 Calories, 12.5 g Total Fat, 2.7 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 16 mg Cholesterol, 12 mg Sodium, 39.6 g Carbohydrate, 6.3 g Fibre, 19.4 g Sugars, 15.1 g Added Sugars, 5.7 g Protein, 279 mg Potassium

Carbohydrate Choice = 2 choices

Professional home economist tip:

Kids don’t need as much fibre as adults so cut the bars into 48 squares if you are making these for children under 12.

Recipe is from Peace, Love and Fibre  Over 100 Fibre-Rich Recipes for the Whole Family Paperback – appetite Random House 2019 

 

 

 

 

 

20 thoughts on “”

  1. Apples, I try to eat one every day. Like they say an Apple a day keeps the doctors away! Favourite is green 🍏 and a bit sour.

  2. Thank you for the demo on the fibre bars. I do have your wonderful book. Our daughter Taivi leaves for Copenhagen so that she and Ryan can have time away. I have the 3 darling kids for 10 days. The kids will help me with this recipe and these bars will help fill lunch bags. David and I have eaten pistachio nuts since we met in 1973. They are high in protein, fibre and antioxidants. Although 2 handfuls or less per day is enough, we snacked a little bit more than usual as we are moving between 2 houses this week. Good nutritious snack🙏🏻👍

  3. Love your facebook live segments. I chuckle along with you.
    My go to fibre item – bran buds. I put them in muffins & cinnamon loafs or just sprinkle them over my cereal.

  4. Thanks Mairlyn for your upbeat videos. This weeks recipe looks enticing to make.
    My favourite go to fibre product is oat flakes. They are very versatile to use in many recipes.

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