I love recipes that can be adapted and enhanced to everyone’s preference and taste and dietary needs. I also really love good food that is easy but delicious, quick but rich, and can be used as a snack or part of a meal. You know, a recipe that actually works for everyone.

This granola bar recipe is one such treasure.

This recipe meets all of our criteria:

No need for special ingredients
Use what you have
No waste
No excess
No stress

It can be
Vegan
Paleo
Nut lover
Sweet
Spicy
Sugar free
Allergen free

Here is your “On the go, simple, satisfying, easy to make, kid friendly,
grown up approved Granola Bar Recipe”!

** Tip for those who have never used our recipes before. We think in making the most of what we have. We also really want to make sure our recipes work for a broad audience. With that in mind, you will notice that we work in Foundation Ingredients and then Extras. Those extra’s enhance flavor and texture and the overall experience and love of your food. However, we really don’t want you going out and buying a full bag of chia seeds, using a tablespoon and then the rest goes to waste because you keep it in your cupboard and forget it is there. So…our recipes are fully intact with the most basic foundation pieces. But add on! Use more. Be creative! We have included some of our own ideas of what to add to your recipe, but we have confidence that you love food and an open mind and kitchen, so get wild and share with us what you did with the recipe to enhance it and make it your own work of art!

You can read more about our Foundation Philosophy here!

Foundational Dry ingredients:  Mix together in a bowl

1 cup oats/GF oats/coconut flakes/quinoa flakes (You could probably even use those packets of instant plain oatmeal if you have those around the house, but I have never tried it. Let me know if you do! Use what you have and all is our guiding rule!)
2 tbs sugar/coconut sugar/dry zevia/brown sugar
2 tbs almond flour/any other nut or seed flour for protein/whole wheat flour

Bonus ingredients: to increase health and flavor if you have on hand! (Don’t run to the store for these and spend all the money to include them in the recipe. If your lifestyle includes these items in your pantry, toss them in! But save yourself the dough (the green kind) and work without them.)
1 tbs flaxmeal
1 tsp chia seeds
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Foundational Wet ingredients: Heat in a saucepan over med heat until individual ingredients become a new cohesive one
4 tbs maple syrup (as local and as organic as you can afford)
2 tbs honey (as local as you can afford)
2 tbs peanut butter/almond butter/sunflower seed butter/cashew Butter

Bonus ingredients:
½ tsp vanilla/almond/chocolate
Smidge of salt

Now that you have your basic Granola recipe, here is a fun list of all the nuts and dried fruit and flavors you can add to it. Mix and match to your heart’s content, but keep the overall total to about ¼ -⅓ cup. Otherwise the ratio becomes too much. HOWEVER… you could probably smash some of these fun bits ON TOP instead of mixing them in, which then you can add as many as you want! Think of it as frosting!

Add In’s: Total ¼ – ⅓ cup
chocolate chips, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews, cranberries, pistachios, coconut flakes, almonds, raisins, peanut butter chips, carob chips, dried pineapple, sunflower seeds, yogurt raisins, flavored cashews, M&M’s

1. Mix your dry ingredients and wet ingredients in a bowl.
2. Press down in a bread pan for shape. (add foil or plastic wrap at the bottom so it’s easy to pull out of the pan and you don’t have to wash it! Save on water and time! And make sure to re-use that foil or plastic wrap for another recipe to help eliminate waste.)
3. Press Add In’s on top if you didn’t mix them in.
4. Place in refrigerator for 10-20 min to harden.
5. Pull out and cut into desired amount. I usually do 8 bars. One long cut down the middle and then 3 cuts widthwise.
6. ENJOY!

Remember, these are great for picnics, lunches, on the go snacks, school lunches, long meetings, brunches, breakfasts, late night snack. You can pack it full of protein to fill your belly and give yourself energy for hours. I eat mine around 3pm when I dog tired and ready to hang up my day. These lift me out of my funk and give me the energy I need to make my evening great.