Fiber-it up, Eliminate-it out!

Ever find yourself in a rush with little – no time to cook or eat a proper meal? That was a rhetorical question.  Reality has it that sometimes we need quickie snacks we can grab with us on the go. Better choose the healthy ones, but those are hard to come by in pre-packaged form. Peruse the isles of your local grocery or even health food store to have a look at the granola / protein / power bars. They look a lot like candy bars do to me. The ingredient list often goes on and on and on. So long, you wonder how these things can be considered natural or even good for you. They’re usually not. Often full of sugar or some form of it, or many forms of it, a modified corn product or two, wheat gluten to hold it all together and then some chemical to preserve the whole mélange, this does not do a body good.

This morning I woke up inspired to make my own. All of the ingredients were just sittin’ around in my fridge and pantry asking to be turned into granola squares and so I heeded their call.

Try this out, I promise it’s so super simple, there will be no reason to spend $6 on a box ever again. Best of all these are gluten free, dairy free and nut free! What more could you ask for?

Granola Square Heartiness, Makes about 14 bars

~½ cup of mixed raw seeds: Flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower
~½ cup rolled oats
~½ cup of freshly ground flax seeds
~½ cup shredded coconut
~½ cup almond butter
~1/3 cup raw honey
~1/3 cup raw tahini paste
~1/3 cup warm water
~2/3 cup dried raisins, apricots or dates
~Pinch sea salt
~Dash vanilla extract
~Dash cinnamon powder

Method
Pre-heat oven to 325.

• Dry mixture: Mix together your mixed raw whole seeds, rolled oats, coconut, raisins, sea salt, cinnamon powder

• Wet mixture: In a separate bowl: Mix together your ground flax (after ground), almond butter, tahini, honey, warm water, vanilla extract.

~Mix your dry ingredients into your wet ones until well combined and coated. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper, a teaspoon of coconut oil for flavour and pour your mixture over it.
~Spread around with your hands (fun!) until you have formed a flat surface.
~Bake 20 minutes until tops are dry and edges are toasty brown. (Bars will not rise.)
~Allow to cool and then cut into squares. A pizza cutter works very well here. Cool completely and store in air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Best of all, enjoy!