I try to make all of my meals from scratch and to stay away from processed food as much as possible, but I just can’t seem to keep energy bars off the shopping list. They are too convenient not to buy. Some days on campus stretch into eight hours or longer, and a girl can only drink so much coffee and call it a meal.
Unfortunately, Odwalla’s dirty politics landed them on my “do not buy” list, and Clif bars taste like something a hippie commune living outside of the Matrix came up with. There are lots of bars on the market, but I have more patience tinkering around in the kitchen than I do wasting money on preservative-filled concoctions cranked out by oversized corporations. Ultimately, the tinkering led here: a high protein energy bar free of preservatives, chemicals and hydrogenated fats. Enjoy.
Energy Bars (or make them round and call ‘em cookies)
- ¼ cup butter, room temperature
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 3 Tbsp. Flax seed oil
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup wheat germ
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1 cup walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together butter, sugar, oil, peanut butter, vanilla, sugar and egg. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients, reserving nuts and cranberries for later. Stir dry and wet ingredients together, then fold in nuts and cranberries. Shape into 2” cookies or 1”x 4” bars. Place formed cookies/bars onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. Makes 20 bars or 24 cookies.
Each energy bar is high in fiber, omega fatty acids and complex carbohydrates to keep you going until the next meal. Calorie count is 215, with 6.8 grams of protein.