Gluten Free Protein Bars

My hubby loves granola bars and is always looking for something quick to eat when he's running out the door. I think that a challenge for many of us who are trying to eat better and less processed is trying to have quick snack items on hand. I've found that healthy bars are not only hard to find, but are expensive. In the spirit of cooking and baking in bulk, we tried out this "protein" bar recipe. While it is does have whole ingredients, it tastes like a dessert!

It makes a large portion which can be cut, divided and put into baggies ahead of time. I was lax with measuring which made my bars come out a little crumbly, but they were still very good! And very easy. 

2 cups brown rice cereal 
2 cups rolled oats 
1/4 cup flax meal 
2 tbsp. Cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon (more or less to taste) 
1/2 cup raisins (more or less to taste, you can also add other dried fruits, chopped) 

1/2-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter 
1/2 cup raw honey 
2 tbsp. vegetable oil, like coconut 
2 tbsp pure maple syrup

Mix the first 6 ingredients together in a big bowl.
In a saucepan, heat the peanut butter, oil, honey, and maple syrup until bubbly (about 3-5 min)
Pour the liquid combo into the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. If you're like me and over pour the cereals, you may need to add more honey or peanut butter to make it stick together better and not be too crumbly. 

Spoon the batter into a 9x13 pan and push it down until it's flat with parchment paper. Refrigerate and allow to cool completely before cutting.  

Happy health! 


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