Eons ago, back when I worked for the Forest Service in Washington State, a friend of mine introduced me to a great little recipe for energy bars on the back of the Grape-Nuts cereal box. During long days in the field, food was quite the commodity. The trick was packing enough to get you through, but not more than you could comfortably carry. And living on a seasonal paycheck made scrimping a priority as well. Those energy bars were just the right snack because they saved me money, gave me a boost, and tasted good too.
As it turns out, circumstances are not so different today, except now it's my kids I have to feed in order to sustain them through long days in the outback (well, okay, school). Of course, I want to provide healthy food for their lunches, but I cringe every time I buy a box of organic granola bars that costs too much and creates a bunch of trash in the process. So, the other day I was flipping through my jumbled recipe box and happened upon that old energy bar recipe, ripped right off the cereal box so many years ago.
While the Grape-Nuts recipe is good, it begged me to make it better. For one, it calls for corn syrup, which these days generally contains high fructose corn syrup (a nasty no-no). It also calls for an additional cup of sugar, which I don't think it needs, and “reduced fat” peanut butter. Reduced fat just rubs me wrong. If nature made something fat, leave it that way. So, I did some tinkering and came up with a tasty snack bar recipe—for kids and grownups alike—that can be made in bulk and frozen. If you hate any of the ingredients, just substitute the same amount in cereal or something else you like. And feel free to double or triple the recipe to save time later on.
Jen's Super Snack Bars
1 cup honey (preferably local raw)
¾ cup peanut butter (preferably organic)
3 ½ cups cereal (Grape-Nuts, Rice Krispies, Ezekial Sprouted Grain cereal, or a mixture of whatever you like)
½ cup chocolate chips (mini-sized chips are fun) or dried fruit pieces
¼ cup finely shredded coconut
¼ cup chopped almonds
Bring the honey and peanut butter just to boiling in a saucepan, stirring frequently. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients and then add the honey/peanut butter. Stir to coat the dry stuff well. Press the mixture firmly into casseroles dishes, pie pans, etc. I make them about an inch and a half thick. Cool and cut into bars. Freeze individual bars in Ziplocks, foil, or containers—and try not to eat them all at once!
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