Fructooligosaccharides, what the heck it that? These Healthy Homemade Soft Chewy Granola Bars from Scratch are made with ingredients you CAN pronounce. Perfect for lunch boxes, after school, or even breakfast on the run.
Haven’t you always wondered about ingredients? The mysterious scientific names that are on labels. Do you ask yourself ‘how good is this for me”? After all when you LOVE granola as much as I do, especially crunchy granola, you want to know what is in it right?
Did you study chemistry in school? I did. I loved experiment day when we would put things together in a test tube. Watching to see if there is a reaction. Looking under the microscope to see cell formation. What did we create today?
When I was a kid Tang was the popular drink at the time. In fact, even the astronauts drank it in space. At least that is what they told us in the commercials.
BE MINDFUL OF LABELS
If it’s good for the astronauts it’s good for us right? It was a like a science experiment in a glass. You add this orange powder to water, give it a mix, and viola, you have orange juice. Who needs fresh oranges when you can have this?
I don’t know about you, but when I have to use a dictionary to read food labels, something is wrong. What is fructooligosaccharides anyway? I had to even triple check the spelling of this one.
Just have a quick glance at food labels. I bet you will be surprised as to what is really on them. Especially on the “healthy” food choices. Fructooligosaccharides was actually on a granola bar label. Homemade granola bars have ingredients you can pronounce.
HOMEMADE FROM SCRATCH
Do the words “made from scratch” scare you? I was watching an episode of Desperate Housewives the other day as I used the treadmill. Yes I know, that show is over, but I have the dvd’s…good shows never come to an end. Bree had just made a batch of cookies. She did stress the fact that they were made from scratch.
My mom and baba made everything from scratch. Perhaps it was because when I was a kid, there were not as many options in the grocery stores. Yes there were cookies, cereals, chocolate bars and potato chips. Certainly not to the extent they are today.
You too can make these Healthy Homemade Soft Chewy Granola Bars from Scratch.
PURE, SIMPLE INGREDIENTS
My philosophy is “Food doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does have to taste good”. Pure, simple ingredients create wonderful, tasty results.
Honestly, the simpler the better. Like these bars for instance. Throw some wheat berries, oatmeal, quinoa flakes, flaxseed, almonds and cocoa in a blender. Blitz until it resembles breadcrumbs.
Put the mixture into a bowl. Add some applesauce, cranberries, coconut, sweetener, and spice. Mix, put in a baking dish. Bake, cool, cut…eat.
I didn’t notice any mysterious scientific terms in the ingredients, did you?
Another great, quick and totally delicious recipe (that my grandson goes bonkers over) is my Banana Chocolate Roundup. 3 simple ingredients that make a great after school snack, or even dessert.
EXPERIMENT WITH WHAT YOU HAVE
Are you one of those people that have to follow a recipe exactly? I get it, some people are like that. They may not feel they have the confidence in the kitchen to experiment. They are scared to screw things up.
I am the opposite. I will look at a recipe and decide what I want to change. Sometimes it’s because I don’t like a particular ingredient in the list. Other times it’s because I don’t have the particular ingredient in the cupboard.
Take this granola bar recipe and change it to what you have to work with, or what you like to eat. Swap out the flaxseed for chia seeds. Change the almonds to walnuts. Use raisins instead of cranberries. Whatever you have, just use it.
Leave the mysterious scientific ingredients in the chemistry lab. Food should be made with ingredients you can pronounce (and spell). These Healthy Homemade Soft Chewy Granola Bars from Scratch are just that. Give them a try and see how easy they are to make.
Spiced Holiday Granola is perfect for gift giving. All the warm spices of the season. Great for breakfast, or added to yogurt. It is like Christmas in a jar.
THINGS YOU CAN USE TO MAKE THIS RECIPE (affiliate links):
For another healthy, simple ingredient snack, try my Superfood Trail Mix Bites.
Healthy Homemade Soft Chewy Granola Bars from Scratch
Ingredients
For the Dry mix:
- ¼ cup wheat berries (you can use whole wheat flour if you wish)
- ¼ cup flaxseeds
- ¾ cup old fashioned oats
- ½ cup whole almonds
- ¼ cup quinoa flakes
- 2 tablespoons cocoa
For the Wet mix:
- 1 ⅓ cups applesauce (I used strawberry flavoured) (homemade or bought)
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoons chai seasoning blend spice (you can add any spice you like here)
Add Ins:
- ½ cup cranberries (and a bit to sprinkle on top)
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut (and a bit to sprinkle on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.Spray an 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray, and line with parchment.
- Using a blender, combine the dry ingredients (wheat berries, cocoa, oats, quinoa flakes, flaxseeds and almonds). Blitz until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
- Place this mixture in a bowl.
- In a bowl combine the wet ingredients (applesauce, vanilla, & chai spice).
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and combine well.
- Add the cranberries and coconut, and mix to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and spread evenly in the dish.
- Sprinkle with additional cranberries and coconut.
- Bake for approximately 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven, and let cool in pan.
- Once cool, remove from pan and place on a cutting board. Cut into 12 (or whatever size you like).
- ENJOY!!
Natalie | Natalie's Food & Health
Homemade stuff is SO much better than store bought. I don’t like to eat food that contains ingredients I can’t even pronounce. SO cheers for homemade granola bars 🙂 This looks really delicious Gloria. Can’t wait to try this combo.
Homemade & Yummy
They were a hit here….and worked for snacks and breakfast on the go too.
Abra
Fructooligosaccharides are quite beneficial for gut health, they are prebiotics – “nondigestible food ingredients that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon”. In other words, they are the necessary “food” for the good bacteria (probiotics) to feed on.
Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are naturally found in certain foods like garlic, onion, Jerusalem artichokes, and chicory root and they target the microbe bifidobacteria. So if you are taking a probiotic with the bifidobacteria strain you will want to eat fructooligosaccharides to feed that probiotic.
Without prebiotics, probiotics can’t survive.
Anyhoo, I totally get your point 😉 I am a functional medicine nutritionist so my nutrition nerd radar went off with FOS as an example of an unpronounceable “ingredient”. We should 100% stay away from chemicals and bizarro food like products. I don’t know if you were referring to a specific product that contained FOS? Or just using that as an example of something we can’t pronounce and thus shouldn’t eat? but FOS is beyond safe, beneficial in fact, unless you have SIBO, then that’s a whole other scenario!
Ok… stepping down off my soap box to say your granola bars look delicious! and real food for the win (just that FOS is also real food) 😉
Homemade & Yummy
HAHAH…well thanks for the response. Yes I was referring to FOS as “unpronounceable”….and most people would have no clue that it is actually good. My point is that we really should pay attention to labels….most times you have no clue what is in food…even after reading the label.
Rebecca {foodie with family}
I love that every single ingredient in here delivers sustained, quality energy. These look great!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes these are perfect for breakfast or snacks.
fabiola@notjustbaked
I am always on the lookout for a good hiking bar, these are perfect!
Homemade & Yummy
Yes they sure would be.
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
Love everything about this – good, healthy eating! Wish I had some of this now!
Homemade & Yummy
So easy and totally delicious.