How to Make Your Own Energy Bars at Home
It’s easy to get addicted to nutrition and energy bars. They’re just so quick. And convenient. And tasty. But, like most things that come in a shiny foil wrapper, they’re not the healthiest. Darn! Though many boast a mega-punch of protein, added vitamins/minerals, antioxidants and other good stuff, it’s hard to find an energy bar that doesn’t have a bunch of added sweeteners, preservatives or even trans fats. If you’re allergic to nuts, sensitive to gluten or a vegan who doesn’t nosh on dairy, the list of energy bars to choose from grows even shorter!
Here’s the secret the manufacturers don’t want you to know: It’s not that hard to make your own energy bars at home. It’s much healthier, too! My friend Christine, who writes many of the baked-goods recipes for No Meat Athlete, has a knack for creating unique and amazing vegan treats. You’d be surprised what she can do with a can of beans—and no, I’m not exaggerating. She’s got a talent for incorporating weird-but-healthy ingredients into tasty morsels: Beans into brownies, avocado into chocolate mousse and cauliflower into cookies.
She says that the secret to homemade-energy-bar greatness is to have a formula. Using a base formula allows you to add your own little flair to your nutrition bar recipe depending on your mood, the season and the ingredients you have in your kitchen. The result is a tasty, protein-packed energy bar you can feel good about.