Healthy and cheap/er breakfast bars

Edwardia

My OH commutes to London and cannot face breakfast early in the morning.

I've managed to get him into the habit of taking fruit to work (Fairtrade bananas, small easy peel citrus and pears) for a fruit bowl on his desk.

We buy joints on special offer and stash them in the freezer, so he can roast them to take to work in cheesy wholemeal rolls. Half the top shelf in the fridge is now filled with lunch accoutrements such as assorted mustards, Branston, piccalilli, pickled onions, cornichons, olives etc

Despite this, he often forgets to take his rolls having made them or doesn't get time to eat them at work.

Too many days a week he's only eating dinner with nothing more than a banana all day.

So I'm thinking breakfast bars that aren't all breakfast cereal and chocolate that he can grab and eat on the train.

Looking for recommendations that aren't too sugary (although he doesn't need to lose weight), and aren't jam-packed with almonds (he hates them).

We have ASDA, Co-op, Costcutter, Lidl, Morrisons, Poundland, Sainsbury's, Tesco Express and 99p Stores locally and can get deliveries from Ocado, Tesco and Waitrose. No Aldi for miles though.

Hoping there are some avid breakfast bar-munchers out there who can help

TIA xx

mysk_girl

Could you make some? Nigella does a nice recipe.... Takes a bit of time at the weekend, and I haven't costed them but might be an option...

http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/breakfast-bars-55

Kitchenbunny

I frequently make these and while the ingredients can cost a bit, they do work out cheaper than buying individual bars for me. I tend to substitute peanuts for mixed chopped nuts, and the cranberries with mixed dried fruit and a few chunks of Value chocolate. All you have to do is mix the ingredients together and heat the condensed milk - leave it in a very low oven for an hour and then they're ready.

HTH

K xx

Edwardia

Hadn't thought of making my own.. I would have to cost them. There's a Holland and Barrett here (£££) but other than that very little health food stuff. ASDA doesn't carry organic food anymore, Sainsbury's has very little, I just don't think people buy anything remotely healthy around here

That's why I assumed I might find some pre-packaged stuff...

rachbc

There are quite a few bar recipes on the OS forum, including one that has peanut butter as a binder so less sickly sweet, plus I love the thick granola bars from smittenkitchen.com.

I've recently had a box of eat natural bars from Approved Foods and they have been delicious but not entirely sure how healthy they are - they are more a once a week addition to the kids packed lunch than a daily thing so I'm not overly concerned. I do find most bought bars too sweet though and definately prefer to make my own.

terra_ferma

cereal bars (and cereals in general) are one of the worse rip offs. Even those marketed as healthy they are actually one of the worse foods one can have at breakfast, most full of sugar (children cereals being one of the most unethical marketing plots, in my opinion, hiding junk food as a healthy breakfast..)

Cereal bars are the same, but with a premium price on top, well done for not falling for the hype and looking at the ingredients, so many people don't do that and think they are having a healthy breakfast while they could well have a chocolate bar and eat the same amount of sugar...

I totally agree, make you own

lonestarfan

I bought loads of Frosties and Rice Crispies cereal bars when they were on offer but found them way too sweet and had to give them away. I now eat the Special K Red Berry bars which I really like or I take the sainsburys basics pancakes 20p a pack as they fit in my handbag but they are quite sweet. The "You are what you eat" cookbook had a good recipe for healthy bars in it. It was butternut squash & something else I can't remember and you made a tray and then cut it into bars and it was really tasty and gives slow burning energy which is supposed to be good. Hth.

Chris25

not a specific cereal bar - but you could add some to these energy bars http://jazzapples.co.uk/sites/all/themes/jazz/images/cookbook.pdf
they're listed under the desserts section (p20)

savingmonkey

My favourites are the Nature Valley bars - they are really crunchy and fill you up. The oats and honey is best, not too sweet. I stock up when they are on bogoff which they often are in the co-op and tescos

shirlgirl2004

When I was weorking full time I used to take a slim fast because it was quick and easy even if I didn't have time for a lunch break. They have them on approvedfood at the moment for 6 for 59p from memory. It has nothing to do with trying to lose weight more to do with something that has a few vitamins/minerals and is better than going hungry. The OH sometimes takes them when he knows he won't get time for lunch or hasn't got up early enough for breakfast.

savingmonkey

Just been to Asda and they were promoting a new cereal bar - Oat so Simple, thought I would add to your thread

http://groceries.asda.com/asda-estore/search/searchcontainer.jsp?trailSize=1&searchString=oat+so+simple+morning+bar&domainName=Products&headerVersion=v1&_requestid=27089

They are 5 for £1, I tried the golden syrup one and thought they were nice.

Another bar I like is the Doves farm flapjacks, they do a plain and an apple and sultana one. Waitrose/ocado sell them and I think Sainsburys do too.

http://www.ocado.com/webshop/product/Doves-Farm-Apple--Sultana-Flapjack/42778011