These delicious bars are truly a meal replacement bar. Pair one with a hard boiled egg whites or some other source of lean protein, and you’ve got a complete meal on the go!
These calorie dense meal bars are filled with good fats and carbohydrates. They’ll fill you up and keep you going. But I should warn you, these bars aren’t for sissies. This is a serious bar.
On the flip side, the kids will love them too! Just remember to add some protein and you’re good to go!
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Clean Eating Nutty Coconut Granola Bars
(Makes 12 bars)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 1 cup peanut halves
- 1 cups dried cranberries, fruit juice sweetened
- 1 cup traditional oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 cup dried coconut
- 1 cup organic brown rice syrup
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the walnuts, peanuts, cranberries, oats, coconut and cinnamon. Stir well to combine.
- In a small to medium sauce pan, combine the brown rice syrup, honey and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil while stirring occasionally.
- While the sweetener is still hot, pour it into the mixing bowl and stir everything together.
- Working quickly, transfer the mixture into an oiled baking dish (Mine was 9 x 13).
- Using a piece of parchment paper that is large enough to cover the entire surface area, press down the mixture down using your flat hand(s) to compress it tightly. If you don’t pack it down tight enough, these will not stick together when you cut them.
- Place the baking dish in the freezer overnight and cut into bars in the morning.
Storage: Once these have been cut, it’s best to wrap them individually in parchment or plastic wrap and store in the freezer. If they warm to room temperature, they start to fall apart.
Note: These can be a bit sticky on the bottom where the brown rice syrup settles as it cools. You can dust the top with a little sucanat if you find you need to, but these are generally sweet enough. Your best bet is to just have a napkin you can wipe your hands on after eating them. The stickiness is minimal. (Or try dipping the bottoms in dark chocolate and chilling on a parchment lined cookie sheet overnight!)
Where do you find your brown rice syrup?
At the health food store. Or Amazon.com carries it.
Can you substitute anything for the brown rice syrup?
Not on these. They won’t hold together. But if you use honey, you might end up with a yummy trail mix!
Would it be possible to use malted barley syrup? Or is that not considered clean?
I’m not sure be honest. I’ve never seen it for sale here so I’ve never used it or even looked into it. I will see if I can find any info on it.
I have a hard time finding cranberries sweetened in only juice. I have looked at whole foods. Everything seems to be sweetened with some form of sugar..cane syrup and such.
The juice sweetened ones are their own brand. Did you ask one of the bulk section clerks? If not, you can always get them on Amazon.com.
Is there any way to substitute out the rice syrup? Unfortunately that is way too much sugar for me. Thanks for all YOU do!!
Sadly, no. It’s the only natural sweetener I know of that hardens almost like corn syrup. I’ll keep looking for others though…
Hi Tiffany, Your recipe sounds easy to make and yummy!
It is! Hope you enjoy it!
Glad you like it!
I’m not sure the pectin is clean. I could be wrong though, haven’t researched it. Gelatin is not clean and I don’t care for the aftertaste I get from stevia. But if those changes work for you, go for it!
I think the bananas would be too moist and they would fall apart. Dehydrated apples are a good addition however.
I admit, since losing over 85 pounds doing the Eat Clean diet I thought I had it made…but since then I have become a sudo Vegan. I only eat meat on Friday nights ( date night) and still struggle with dairy ( generally on eating it on date nights as well…in doing so ( this new life style) I have gained about 12 pounds or so! ( 153-166) & I am struggling trying to lose it. My normal ways ( Cooler 1 or stripped) are all with meat and dairy and trying to modify are tough. SOOOOOOOOOO, my point is, finding foods that look good and are ‘ dairy free’ are amazing to me! So thank you, I have been here before for we were both featured for Tosca’s cook book. So again, love finding hidden gems….
xoxoxox
Traci
Just wanted to let everyone know that vitacost.com also carries a couple brands of Organic Brown Rice Syrup for around $5. I love your recipes, thanks so much for sharing them! Can’t wait to try this one!
I used peanut butter instead of honey, it was a little sweet with both rice syrup and honey, but it still sticks together and tastes awesome. I picked up my brown rice syrup at sprouts.
Awesome!
Can I eliminate the cranberries? Or replace them with something else? Thanks!
Nanci – Sure! Raisins would be good if you don’t want to omit anything.
Thanks! Giving them a try this afternoon!
What exactly are “traditional oats?” Does that just mean not the quick cooking kind?
MJ – If you ask at the store, they can point them out. They are the longer cooking oats. They are also thicker.
These look great! Can’t wait to try out the recipe.
How do you feel about Larabars? I’ve been a Larabar regular for the past year. They claim to be natural-just dried fruits and nuts.
Thanks,
Amber – Their basic flavors (apple, cherry, lemon, etc…) are clean.
can you substitute coconut with coconut oil
Raegan – No, I wouldn’t.