Trying Some New Bars

January 27, 2009

I should probably clarify that I mean the eatin’ kind, not the drinkin’ kind. And this time they were not purchased but made by yours truly.

My husband is training for a marathon type event here in Brazil. The Volta is 100 km race around the island of Florianopolis in Santa Catarina state. It is a relay with 24 stage. Most people participate in teams where each team member runs about 3 legs of the race. Some of it is on the road, some on rough terrain and some on the beach. Needless to say he is running a lot.

He had been asking me if I could make him some kind of bars for part of his breakfast. The bar selection in the supermarket where we live is practically non-existent. You basically have a few choices of breakfast granola bars filled with preservatives.

Now, I’ve tried making my own energy bars before, but I usually end up incorporating so many ingredients that they have way to many calories and fat to be considered nutritional. However, considering how much he is running this isn’t really a problem for him so I gave them another try.

I found this recipe for Chocolate Cinnamon Energy Bars and used part of it as my base and then went on from there. Warning: these have quite a bit of brown sugar. They were almost too sweet with the fruit so next time I’ll be cutting that back. Other than that I thought they turned out pretty good and he likes them too.

However, I’ll be having them in moderation for sure. They fall into more of the meal replacement category than a snack.

Energy Breakfast Bars

2 ½ cups rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup honey
½ cup vegetable oil (I used soy)
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup prunes, chopped
½ cup soy nuts
1/3 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut

Line a small cookie sheet with foil and grease well. In a bowl combine oats, brown sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Pour in honey, oil and vanilla; mix well until all dry ingredients are coated. Stir in prunes, nuts and coconut. Press into greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

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  • Erica January 27, 2009 at 10:02 am

    mmm they look/sound great! Bummer that you guys don’t have many good bars available to you in the food store. Good luck to your husband in his race!

  • Tangled Noodle January 27, 2009 at 10:43 am

    I am definitely going to make these! Mr. Noodle brought back different kinds of bars from his last Brazil trip; my favorite was the brand Nutra – what do you think of them?

    Hope your hubs’ training goes well and best of luck on the race. You MUST post about Florianopolis – I’ve heard that it’s incredibly beautiful down there.

  • Sophie January 27, 2009 at 10:51 am

    This energy bar looks so good & healthy! I will try this tomorrow! Thanks!

  • cathy January 27, 2009 at 11:18 am

    These look yummy! Looks like a good breakfast to me!

  • laura January 27, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    Looks yummy! So with the honey and brown sugar are they more chewy (my favorite 🙂 than crispy?

  • Meg January 27, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    I love this recipe! I will definitely be trying it!

  • Melissa's Journey January 27, 2009 at 3:18 pm

    Oh yum, those look so good!!

  • Lori January 28, 2009 at 3:28 am

    Erica – I have to stock up when I am in the States. I’ll pass on your well wishes. 🙂

    TN – We’ve bought Nutra before. They really remind me of a quaker oat granola bar. I do like the coconut, but the banana is pretty bad.
    I’m looking fwd to the trip. We went in Nov of 07 and it is a really nice place. I wasn’t able to go to the race last yere so I’m really looking forward to seeing how that event takes over the island. 🙂

    Sophie – Thanks for your comment. I hope you like them.

    cathy – Thanks!

    laura – Definitely chewy. That is the way I like them too. 🙂

    Meg – Great! Hope you like them.

    Melissa – Thanks for your comment. Glad you liked them! 🙂

  • Daily Spud January 28, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Mmm – the bars sound great. One thing I loved about marathon training (which I’ve only ever done once in my life) is the amount of food you get to eat 🙂 The downside is that the level of appetite remains even after the marathon training is over!

  • lauren January 28, 2009 at 12:39 pm

    the bars look great and professional looking! That is exciting your husband is training for a marathon in brazil. Got your comment that he reads my blog every now and then – that is COOL! 🙂

    I may have to try making these bars…especially since they are chewy!

  • Lori January 29, 2009 at 2:56 am

    Daily Spud – I can only imagine. Just running a few miles makes me so hungry. There is just something about running and my appetite, unlike other exercises. I’m shooting for a 1/2, but probably won’t make a full any time soon.

    Lauren – That is the main reason I like them, the chewy. I really don’t like crunchy bars.

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