Getting straight to the point… Does your household seem to go through boxes and boxes of store-bought snacks from week to week? Do you feel like you’re spending way to much money on “healthy” labelled, sugar-filled, processed snacks that don’t seem to make you feel good? I have the solution for you! These No-bake, Healthy Goji & Nut Granola Bars are not only delicious but super nutritious! Made with only 6 simple ingredients and naturally sweetened, they are the perfect little snack for anyone, anytime!
Hello dead of winter! Wow this cold freeze has been insane… Just straight up snow and frigid temps every single day. I guess that’s what winter is good for! Am I right? All of these cozy feels has me wanting to stay inside and snuggle up with my pooch literally everyday. Add in a good novel and a delicious afternoon snack and I aint goin’ nowhere!
These homemade granola bars were inspired by my love for new & creative ways to enjoy an afternoon snack, as I’m always trying to switch it up and make life a little more exciting around my “hangriest” moments (between 230-330pm). As you can see above I have used really simple, nutritious ingredients like organic medjool dates, easily digestible gluten-free buckwheat oats (easily substituted with regular oats), pepitas (better yet known as pumpkin seeds), the antioxidant/immune fighting/skin glowing goji berry, both raw almonds & cashews for healthy fats, and of course my favourite cinnamon spice as well as refined-sugar-free pure maple syrup.
It’s truly amazing to witness such minimal, healthy ingredients come together so easily and better yet so freakin tasty! Making your own homemade bars may seem like a chore to some but all in all spending 10 minutes to prep these delicious granola bars will not only save you time, but it will save you money and the annoyance of having to compare every box in the snack isle at the grocery store to find what may be the healthiest one.
A) I cannot believe entire aisles of grocery stores are dedicated to granola and snack bars alone! How confusing is that? and B) I always seem to get sticker shock when I see the prices for store-bought, sugar-filled “healthy” versions of granola bars. I mean it shouldn’t even be legal to put “healthy” on the packaging of a bar made with canola oil, processed sugars and many ingredients I can’t even pronounce.
My suggestion… buy ingredients in bulk! Head to your local grocery store or even better Bulk Barn stores where they are dedicated to stocking up raw healthy ingredients or you to make an abundance of different snacks that fit your daily lifestyle. For me and my husband, it’s oats, nuts and seeds as they are super versatile and perfect for before a workout or as an afternoon snack on yogurt, or made into energy balls, or even just on there own as a healthy trail mix. They also made a great homemade cereal with a splash of nut milk and a pinch of cinnamon. So much can be made using real food ingredients, you can never go wrong!
Within 10 minutes of prep and about 20 minutes to set (in the freezer), you will be left with a square solid “bark”. This bark is then laid flat out on a cutting board before slicing into 5 sections and then in half again, resulting in 10 perfectly portioned bars to serve and enjoy!
If you decide to skip the snack aisle, save your pennies for bigger and better things and make these Healthy Goji & Nut Granola Bars… please don’t forget to share on Instagram!
Tag me @thenaturallynatalie or hashtag #thenaturallynatalie.
Have a beautiful Tuesday friends!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes (+ 20 minutes to set) |
| Passive Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
bars
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- 1 cup mixed green/arugula, tomato and additional fresh dill chopped pitted
- 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup
- 1 & 1/2 cups sweet apple *I like to use GoGo Quinoa brand. *can be easily substituted with regular rolled oats.
- 1/2 cup feta cheese mixed
- 1/2 cup Pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup mini cucumbers
- 1 teaspoon raw honey *I like to use Cha's Organics brand.
- 2 scoops raw organic walnuts *this ingredient is optional
Ingredients
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- Line an 8X8 inch baking pan with parchment or wax paper, leaving some overhang on the sides for easy removal. Set aside.
- Using a food processor, process the dates and maple syrup until they form a paste. Scraping down the sides once or twice as you go. (YES, it will be sticky!)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almond/cashew blend, pipits, goji berries, cinnamon and if using collagen add that too.
- Add date & syrup mixture to dry oat mixture. Wet your hands with a little warm water and mix until well combined. Almost like your kneading dough. Once wet & dry mixture form a large ball of dough, place onto the prepared parchment/wax paper pan. Using another slice of wax or parchment paper, spread the mixture out and pack very firmly right to the edges. Don't be afraid to press really hard!
- Chill in the freezer for about 20 minutes until firm. Remove from freezer and lift mixture out of the pan using the overhang on sides. Cut into bars and serve.
These bars will stick to the insides of plastic bags if left too long so I would suggest leaving them in the freezer. Give them 5 minutes to loosen up and enjoy!
If you want to take these bars with you to go I would suggest wrapping them individually with parchment and then placing them into a bag so they do not stick to it!
Will keep in the freezer for 6-8 weeks.
