Looking for Breakfast Bar Recipes

G

Gobias

Cathlete
Hi everyone,

I believe my guy is *finally* wanting to be healthier and eat less processed foods! When I cook he eats very clean, but when he is off on his own, he eats processed.

He goes on long road bike rides (100+ miles), medium mountain bike rides (20-30 miles) and short-medium runs (avg 10 miles). All separately, but sometimes he will do bricks.

He usually stops with his friends at the convenient mart to get Gatorade and processed food bars. Or he will take processed "goo" with him. He then comes home and carbo loads on animal crackers and potato chips!

I need healthy recipes that travel well (for his rides and runs). He loves my homemade granola, but he can't easily eat that during his workouts. He will take some fruit for when he stops and rests, but needs something while running/riding he can pop in his mouth.

I am hoping for some kind of granola bar or protein bar or just anything that is as clean and healthy as possible and travels well. We live in the desert, where it is well over 100F the majority of the time, therefore nothing that easily melts into liquid. (But I can use those recipes for the winter)

I was going to try to make my granola but put a binder in it (honey?) to press it into a bar he can travel with. I am already working on getting him off of the Gatorade, animal crackers and potato chips as replenishment!

Thanks.
 
Hi Gobias,
Lisa has linked you to some awesome recipes (no surprise there)!
Here's what I do for a quick bar fix:

I whisk together in a small bowl or large Pyrex measuring cup:
1/2 c maple syrup (or agave)
2/3 c nut butter
generous pinch of salt
1 TBSP cinnamon (I like a lot of cinnamon, add whatever you please)

then in a large bowl I mix:
2 1/2 c rolled oats
1/2 cup dried fruit
1 c seeds or nuts

then pour the liquid over the dry stuff, and mix it up. Adjust, adding more butter or maple if it's too dry, more oats if too wet. Smash it in a pan, let it chill for a few hours, and cut it up. No bake. If I'm lazy and only want to wash one bowl, I whisk the wet stuff in a large bowl then just dump in the dried stuff and mix. So easy, more of a template then a recipe.

ETA: I like to line the pan with foil or parchment. Easier to get them out. You can cut up the foil you used to line the pan and use it to wrap the bars, so you don't waste it.
 
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I mix eggs and oats (2 eggs to about 1/3 cup of oats) and leave them in the fridge overnight. The next morning I add my other 'stuff': usually seeds, but nuts, dried fruit, coconut and cinnamon etc would work. I then pan-fry the gloop in a bit of coconut oil. I usually eat it warm out of the pan, smeared with nut butter and marmite. But I'm weird. It's probably very nice with no toppings, and I'm sure Nutella would be yummy - but you asked for healthy!
 
Justinef said:
I mix eggs and oats (2 eggs to about 1/3 cup of oats) and leave them in the fridge overnight. The next morning I add my other 'stuff': usually seeds, but nuts, dried fruit, coconut and cinnamon etc would work. I then pan-fry the gloop in a bit of coconut oil. I usually eat it warm out of the pan, smeared with nut butter and marmite. But I'm weird. It's probably very nice with no toppings, and I'm sure Nutella would be yummy - but you asked for healthy!
Click to expand...
That actually sounds really good! Is the overnight soak necessary to soften the oats?
 
One of my "go to" favorites:

Cranberry Protein Bars
Ingredients
  • 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
  • 1/ 2 cup vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 cup wheat and barley nugget cereal (e.g. Grape-Nuts™) or any granola that you like
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce ( more if you want more moist bars)
  • 2 tbl Honey or pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons oil (oil of your choice, I use walnut oil)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds or replace with 1/2 cup of another chopped nut ( or mix 1/4 walnuts, 1/4 sliced almonds etc)
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries or ( fruit of your choice)
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F Line a 9 inch square glass baking dish with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, cereal, and cinnamon. Add the egg, applesauce, honey, and oil. Mix well. Stir in the nuts and dried fruit. Spread mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
  3. Bake 30 minutes, or until firm and lightly browned around the edges. Let cool. Use the foil to lift from the pan. Cut into bars or squares, and store in the refrigerator.
    Makes 12 bars.
 
MomInVT said:
That actually sounds really good! Is the overnight soak necessary to soften the oats?
Click to expand...

No - in fact, I'm not that organised!
If you soak them you get a more biscuity texture. No soak makes for a softer cakey type bar. I'd read that a pre-soak reduces phytic acid, and makes them more digestible (but I may not have remembered that correctly), so I tried it.
 
Wow, thanks for all of the recipes and links - I think my guy will like any and all of these. Great variety so he won't get bored with just one bar. I may even have some (I must have gluten-free so will need to modify some). Any more recipes will be appreciated.

I will look into those Larabars also - I looked all around for the least processed on-the-go bars and just couldn't find any. I didn't come across that brand, therefore nice to know.

Justine - I like the quick freshly made one - I will put batter in the fridge and he can pan-fry some fresh in the morning for just regular breakfasts or snacks. I try to prepare a variety for him since he actually prefers healthy eating, but when I am not around he doesn't know what/how to prepare anything.

LISA - (or anyone) - The recipe you sent for Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from wellplated.com calls for 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Have you ever substituted coconut flour? Do you know if it would work? Is the whole wheat flour included just for bulk or does it add texture, fluffiness, something else? I know when I substitute with coconut flour I have to change the wet/dry ratio. I am hoping coconut flour would work since those bars look yummy.

Thanks, everyone.

I also found some (never made them) from freecoconutrecipes.com and dumbbellsanddiapers.com (Betheny's Mint Fudge Protein bars - although they call for protein powder, I will find a substitute since I don't have any.)
 
Gobias said:
LISA - (or anyone) - The recipe you sent for Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from wellplated.com calls for 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Have you ever substituted coconut flour? Do you know if it would work? Is the whole wheat flour included just for bulk or does it add texture, fluffiness, something else? I know when I substitute with coconut flour I have to change the wet/dry ratio. I am hoping coconut flour would work since those bars look yummy.
Click to expand...
Lisa can chime in, too, but my initial instinct is that it would be a tough sub, or at least you'd need to tweak the recipe otherwise.
a) the gluten in the flour is going to hold the bar together and
b) coconut flour absorbs a TON of water

If it were me, I'd probably sub half coconut flour and add one additional egg, or if you want to try all coconut flour, I'd add one additional egg and add an additional half of a mashed banana for extra binding and moisture. I'd guess that would be fine, but it might be a little crumbly, still.
JMO.
 
oh my goodness, that bread looks amazing! I would make it now but I don't have any psyllium seed.

I make so many spreads and never have anything to put it on (celery and cucumber gets old after awhile), so I usually just spoon-eat it. This bread will be a nice vehicle.

Any other bread/bar recipes? I was going to make him banana bread for his workouts - easy to transport.
 
Gobias said:
LISA - (or anyone) - The recipe you sent for Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from wellplated.com calls for 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Have you ever substituted coconut flour? Do you know if it would work? Is the whole wheat flour included just for bulk or does it add texture, fluffiness, something else? I know when I substitute with coconut flour I have to change the wet/dry ratio. I am hoping coconut flour would work since those bars look yummy.
Click to expand...

MomInVT said:
Lisa can chime in, too, but my initial instinct is that it would be a tough sub, or at least you'd need to tweak the recipe otherwise.
a) the gluten in the flour is going to hold the bar together and
b) coconut flour absorbs a TON of water

If it were me, I'd probably sub half coconut flour and add one additional egg, or if you want to try all coconut flour, I'd add one additional egg and add an additional half of a mashed banana for extra binding and moisture. I'd guess that would be fine, but it might be a little crumbly, still.
JMO.
Click to expand...

Gobias, I've never made the bars with anything other than whole wheat flour. I checked the comments on the blog about using alternative flours, and the best I could come up with was that people had great success substituting in gluten free oat flour. Some had tried almond meal/flour but that did not work. I think coconut flour would be tricky and change the texture as Roz noted, perhaps too crumbly for easy transport. My best suggestion here is to try 1 cup of oat flour (which you can make by just grinding up oats in a blender or food processor...you probably already know that, just throwing it in there just in case).

Lisa
 
I really like homemade larabars and I do not like packaged Larabars. Here is the recipe I use for homemade larabars...delicious.

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/fudge-baby-mania/

My favorite packaged bars are Yawp! bars. These are the cleanest bars I have found...full of good stuff but not too much sugar. They are expensive though. The one thing I would say is that they are hard to get out of the wrapper...definitely NOT something you would want to do while on a bike, so if it were me...I would take it out of the wrapper and put it in something easier to handle like a snack size ziploc or some foil before proceeding on the bike. I like all three flavors.

http://www.yawpeats.com

Our second favorite packaged bars are Ernest bars. These have a bit more sugar but are yummy yummy yummy but wheat free, gluten free, vegan, all understandable ingredients. I pretty much like every single kind of these.

http://www.earnesteats.com
 
nclncl said:
I really like homemade larabars and I do not like packaged Larabars. Here is the recipe I use for homemade larabars...delicious.

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/fudge-baby-mania/

My favorite packaged bars are Yawp! bars. These are the cleanest bars I have found...full of good stuff but not too much sugar. They are expensive though. The one thing I would say is that they are hard to get out of the wrapper...definitely NOT something you would want to do while on a bike, so if it were me...I would take it out of the wrapper and put it in something easier to handle like a snack size ziploc or some foil before proceeding on the bike. I like all three flavors.

http://www.yawpeats.com

Our second favorite packaged bars are Ernest bars. These have a bit more sugar but are yummy yummy yummy but wheat free, gluten free, vegan, all understandable ingredients. I pretty much like every single kind of these.

http://www.earnesteats.com
Click to expand...
Nclncl, these recipes look great! I remember that recipe blog from several years ago, but haven't been over there in a long time. I will check it out and definitely make some of those larabars. (I have been making my own Quest bars using VitaFiber, but I give my daughter larabars.)

Natural parchment is great for wrapping sticky bars. You just need an elastic or bit of tape to secure it (or your old chewing gum, just something adhesive).

Those yawp and ernest bars look good, too. I'll check 'em out at Whole Foods, and sound my barbaric YAWP over the roofs of the world!
 
nclncl said:
I really like homemade larabars and I do not like packaged Larabars. Here is the recipe I use for homemade larabars...delicious.

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-covered-recipes/fudge-baby-mania/

My favorite packaged bars are Yawp! bars. These are the cleanest bars I have found...full of good stuff but not too much sugar. They are expensive though. The one thing I would say is that they are hard to get out of the wrapper...definitely NOT something you would want to do while on a bike, so if it were me...I would take it out of the wrapper and put it in something easier to handle like a snack size ziploc or some foil before proceeding on the bike. I like all three flavors.

http://www.yawpeats.com

Our second favorite packaged bars are Ernest bars. These have a bit more sugar but are yummy yummy yummy but wheat free, gluten free, vegan, all understandable ingredients. I pretty much like every single kind of these.

http://www.earnesteats.com
Click to expand...

These look great!! Thank you.
 
After perusing Katie's blog, I had to make this:
http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/23/want-to-eat-an-entire-bowl-of-cookie-dough/
Oh man. Dangerously good! Just had some with apple slices. And some with a spoon. This will be my go-to post workout snack with a protein shake! :D um, if the bowl makes it to tomorrow...
I used cashew butter, Great Northern white beans, and only 3 tbsp maple. It was PLENTY sweet for my taste. I might even trade the chips for nibs. Love sweets, but not too-sweet sweets.
 
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