Home made healthy cereal bars

Fusspot

Still on with the trying to eat more healthily challenge. I do usually take cereal bars to work (bought ones) and have two per day, one for my morning break and one for my afternoon break. I have the Fusli bars which state they are low in sugar but I think they do still have some.

I've decided to make my own as a healthier option but every receipe I see, be in on the Internet or TV, includes either/or butter, syrup, dates etc aswell as seeds and nuts.

These receipes are from healthy websites (NHS) and TV programmes which encourage healthy eating so surely they must be OK. The NHS website one just has butter and bananas and no syrup but there is still the butter.

When I discuss with friends they just say 'yes but they are still full of sugar' so you can't win. Am I aswell just sticking with my shop bought bars? I feel this is a healthier option than eating chocolate in my breaks.

oldernonethewiser

You can play around with recipes, adding or omitting things as you see fit.


I make my own bars with oats or oatmeal, banana, peanut butter, nuts and dried fruit.

Fusspot

oldernonethewiser wrote: »

You can play around with recipes, adding or omitting things as you see fit.


I make my own bars with oats or oatmeal, banana, peanut butter, nuts and dried fruit.

Do you not add butter? What binds them together?

VfM4meplse

Fusspot wrote: »

Do you not add butter? What binds them together?

Use a healthy oil and pulped dates / a bit of golden syrup, I like to stick orange zest and chopped almonds in too it creates a bar far superior to Frusli etc, IMO.

To make it palatable you are going to need some sweetness. Better that it comes from dates than a refined source, but it is still sugar all the same.

trailingspouse

Fat (butter) and syrup (sugar) aren't inherently unhealthy. They both have a place in a healthy balanced diet. They are only unhealthy if you eat too much of them.


So, as long as the rest of your diet is reasonably low in fat and sugar, a bit of fat or sugar in the cereal bars is OK.


Or, if you really need to cut down on the fat and sugar, you could take something else, instead of making your own bars. Why don't you just take a pot of seeds and nuts, and maybe some fruit, that you could nibble on as needed?

JIL

I make granola bars recipe on thrifty Lesley but I add different nuts, fruits and seeds.

I make cranks date and oat bars but instead of dates I use all sorts of fruit, usually bought from lidl and I use orange juice or fresh fruit instead of water. I have just made some for the week.

Theres also a nigella recipe using evaporated milk that my son uses and adds protein powder to the recipe.

Bettie

I soak sultanas in orange juice then mix with muesli and some added oats plus peanut butter and honey, pressed into a foil lined dish and baked for half an hour. cut into bars for work. I put melted chocolate on the top sometimes.

madlyn

I have made these before, adjust the fruit and seeds to your liking.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/jan/22/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-honey-peanut-butter-bars-recipes

bsuije

I totally agree with trailingspouse re butter and sugar in dates / honey / syrup - I think they are fine in measured quantities and I would choose them any day over manufactured substitutes.

I also think that the great thing about making your own is that you are in control. If you can, experiment with different amounts of fat and sugar, and see how it turns out. Even if you don't end up with bars, the results should still be edible, e.g. if your mix doesn't bind, treat it as a kind of granola?

Lastly, I came across this BBC article today: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/budget_snacks. The chickpea energy bites look interesting - might actually give them a go.

There is also another link with some healthy snack ideas: https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/23_healthy_snacks_to_keep_you_going.

Hope the above are helpful!

Mr_Singleton

Have a look on YouTube there are 1001 ideas for bars.

Fusspot

Thanks for all your suggestions. I want to try and make some bars which are as low in sugar as possible. Not that I don't like sugar, but just want to cut down on it