Hang with me as there may be a string of healthy recipes (hence another recipe this week…this time Banana Cherry Chewy Granola Bars). It’s where my life is right now! I actually have the time (basketball season is over and track hasn’t started yet) to focus a little bit more on me, which means working on making healthy whole food taste better than the processed junk! I’m in my 3rd round of the 21 Day Fix and it’s tough getting back into the swing of things, but I am quickly reminded at how much I can eat when I eat the good stuff! Seriously…check out that collage of pictures! That’s the meals I’ve been eating this past week!!
So anyway…one of the important things about the 21 Day Fix is getting rid of the processed food in your diet. When I’m “on”, I do a pretty dang good job at not eating anything (or very little) processed, but some things have always been hard for me. My alarm goes off at 5:01AM (yeah, don’t ask…it goes back to college) for my morning workout whether it’s my morning run or POUND class! I don’t eat until after I get to work and so without a small snack of some sort, I about pass out or throw up from hunger. For the past several years, I would down a granola bar while heading out the door to the gym and while I would try to pick the ones that had the least amount of calories and other healthy things like chia…they are still processed! So, a little while I started with making my own energy bites, I moved to these homemade granola bars that I dreamed up!
- 1 banana
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 2 T honey
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 T milled flax seed
- 1 T chia seeds
- 2 T unsweetened coconut
- Blend/Mash the banana and mix with the peanut butter and honey.
- Stir in the rest of the ingredients.
- Spread onto a parchment (or silicone baking sheet) on a cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
- Cut into squares or bars.
The bake time on these is completely up to each persons discretion! The longer you bake them, the crunchier they become obviously! Those edges are quite delightful and I think I might play with making some granola crumbles soon! Because of the banana in these bars, you will want to refrigerate them and and freeze any that aren’t eaten within 5 days or so! I wrapped mine in wax paper, taped them into individual packages and froze them, thawing them a few at a time and they are still quite delicious!
These granola bars mix up quick and are a great way to cut the hunger and boost your energy either right before or after a workout! These would also be great in a lunch box for a little one! Have some fun and mix and max with the dried fruit..perhaps raisins or even chopped dried apricots? YUM!
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I’ll have to try these out! Thanks for sharing.
No problem! I hope you guys like them!
Hey! Our alarms go off at the same time:) Thanks for sharing your recipe. Bought a granola bar from a local bakery and realized I need to make them at home so we can have our own supply. Great timing!
I love that there is someone else out there that gets my alarm time! Hope you like the recipe!
These look really good!
Thank you!
My grand daughter would love these! Thank you so much for sharing with us over at Country Fair Blog Party! I can’t wait to make them with her! We’d love to have you join us again, our new monthly link up just opened up! Jan @ Tip Garden
http://www.thetipgarden.com/2016/04/country-fair-blog-party-april-16.html
Thank you for hosting and for visiting!