Now, of course, I can't find a protein bar, a granola bar, or a candy bar that my kids can all consume without turning their nose up at it. One of my daughters cannot eat peanuts or almonds or dairy or soy. So what is a mom to do?
In a spirit of full disclosure, this is not a picture of my granola bars, but they look strikingly similar...these bars are not the heavy granola that you might be used to. I purposely made them to resemble a chewy, moist bar like the cheap 90 calorie Quaker Chewy granola bars but with more nutritional content. You can substitute the nuts for a different kind, leave out the coconut, or use regular Rice Krispies if you are not on a gluten free diet. Chia seeds are highly nutritious and are full of calcium, protein and fiber so if you don't want these (they are pretty flavor neutral) I'd try flax seed. If you wanted to add a nut butter of some sort, then you could do that instead of the chocolate chips. I think the key to chewiness is the honey and coconut oil. My kids loved them! I think the oat bars that I make are just too heavy for kids to really enjoy and they feel like they are getting a really yummy treat!
Well I came up with this recipe in which I call them ChocFullOHappiness:
1 whole box of Koala Crisps cereal (rice puff cereal that is cocoa coated, organic, and gluten free)
3 cups of rolled oats
1/2 cup of sesame seeds
1/2 of chia seeds
1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans
1 cup of honey
1 cup of vegan chocolate chips (or regular if you don't have a dairy allergy)
1/2 unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 cup of coconut oil
In a 350 degree oven, bake the oats and sesame seeds for 20 minutes, stirring once. Then add the coconut and pecans for an additional 5 minutes. (Coconut browns quickly, so be careful). In a large bowl, combine the chia seeds, and cereal. Take the oat mixture and combine that with the cereal mixture. Next, in a small saucepan, heat the honey and coconut oil until it begins to bubble on the sides. Add in the chocolate chips and whisk until smooth. Pour this mixture over the cereal and oat mixture in the large bowl. Stir to coat. Pour this coated mixture onto the cookie sheet that has been sprayed with oil, that was used previously for the oats. Press it together evenly. Let it cool for an hour and then using a serrated knife, gently cut into 12 X 3 strips. This will make 3 dozen granola bars that are chewy, light, and the kids don't even know that they are getting a good carb, fat, and protein with a good dose of fiber thrown in. Chocolate brings us all together!
