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Clean Eating No Bake Oatmeal Granola Bars Recipe

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The kids are heading back to school and moms everywhere are facing the “what to pack in their lunch” dilemma. The truth is, kids just want a lunch that tastes good and makes them feel like they are “part of the crowd” in the lunch room.

As a kid, I felt deprived when my school mates would have those yummy looking, pre-packaged snack and oat bars packed in their school lunches. I would sit down to my small thermos of home cooked lentils or cabbage soup (which I loved), and somehow feel like an outsider because I didn’t have anything in my lunch basket (not so lovingly dubbed, “the cat cage” by my grade school nemesis, Eric) that was in shiny packaging or not made at home.

Clean Eating No Bake Oatmeal Granola Bars Recipe

I had no idea how good I had it when I had a home cooked meal for lunch. All I knew was that my lunch was very different from the lunches my peers were eating. Never mind the lucky ducks who got to actually buy their lunches in the cafeteria. Those were the chosen elite in my book. I guess you could say I had serious lunch envy as a kid.

Last year was the first year I had to start packing school lunches. In the beginning, I was packing balanced, nutrient-dense, beautiful-to-look-at lunches. But by the end of the year, my kid was lucky I wasn’t throwing the dog’s rawhide bone into his lunchbox. No parent can escape the daily lunch grind, and lets face it. If your kids are watching what most mainstream American kids are eating in the cafeteria, they might be feeling a little lunch envy themselves if you make their lunches from scratch.

Most kids have no idea what lurks in those seemingly harmless packages of sugar and chemical infested “treats”. And as a kid, they probably don’t care all that much anyway. They just want to be like their friends. Nobody wants to stand out from the crowd at that age. It’s the same way with every generation.

I was reminded of this when I saw Mini Chef watching one of his friends pick through her after-school snacks to get to “the good stuff” first. While it was a healthy treat, I sat there watching him quietly wish she would share her goodies with him. It brought back my own school lunch memories so vividly, that I just knew I had to come up with a snack bar that he would love to have in his lunch basket. So I set off to create a really yummy, super-duper delicious granola bar.

I had some old fashion oats as well as a jar of almond butter. I also had some raw cocoa nibs and cranberries I had just gotten at the health food store. It was a match meant to happen!

Recipe from the Gracious Pantry archives, originally posted 9/23/13.

Clean Eating No Bake Oatmeal Granola Bars Recipe
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Clean Eating No Bake Oatmeal Granola Bars
Servings: 7 bars - 7 bars - more if you don't mind smaller bars
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (200 g) old fashion oats
  • 1/2 cup (70 g) dried cranberries, fruit juice sweetened
  • 1/3 cup (50 g) raw cocoa nibs
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup (80 ml) honey
  • 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup (200 g) raw, creamy almond butter
Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, cranberries, cocoa nibs and cinnamon. Stir well.

  2. In a small pot, combine the oil, honey, vanilla extract and almond butter over medium heat. You want to warm this enough to combine the liquids well. But DO NOT BOIL! Stir constantly to avoid any simmering. This warmth is strictly to get everything to combine as well as to make it a bit more fluid for mixing with the oats.

  3. Pour the nut butter into the mixing bowl and mix well to completely coat the oats.

  4. Press mixture into an oiled or parchment lined baking dish. (Mine -pictured above- was 9 x 4 1/2)

  5. Freeze for 2 hours.

  6. Cut bars with a sharp knife and store in the freezer for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped so no air gets to them. Note that by the time lunch time comes around, these will no longer be frozen and will be perfect to eat. (These keep in the fridge for about a week.)

 

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Clean Eating Lunch Ideas

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Comments

  2. This looks like a great recipe, thank you! One thing that would have made me feel like I fit in a little better with the lunch crowd was actually paying for my lunch. My Dad made so little that I actually got my lunch for free, and used to get picked on for it 🙁

    Reply

  9. These look awesome! Pinned!

    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/336292297146190619/

    I remember as a kid having all of those chemically laden foods and I would trade them out left and right for more unique foods! LOL! I was secretly envious of the kid with the Bento box!!! I felt very sorry for the girl who always brought liverwurst sandwiches. The kids made fun of her terribly. My lunch box itself helped make me fit in — I remember having strawberry shortcake and then Bionic Woman lunch boxes. 😉 Now as a mom, I allow one item in the lunch that the kids pick out — the rest is mom-approved!

    Reply

  14. I pinned the recipe – http://www.pinterest.com/pin/112871534384458169/
    I hope that I’m able to make them today! I don’t think I have that much cocoa nibs, but I’m sure I can find something to add to them.
    I liked Arrowhead Mills on FB – what an amazing blessing it would be to win the give away!
    Thanks for sharing an amazing recipe!
    I was one of those kids that bought their lunch, my Mom actually worked in the lunchroom! But I always envied the kids that brought their lunch – the grass always looks greener!

    Reply

  16. Funny I almost always bought my lunch and felt like I would have fit in more with a homemade lunch. Of course, I would have wanted the cool pre-packaged foods which would not have happened. It seems we always think the grass is greener on the other side when it’s really not.

    Reply

    • Nicole C – Hard to say. I used coconut oil because it hardens when cold. So anything that does that will work.

      Reply

  19. I grew up in a small community and everyone just sort of fit in. It’s different today with my kids. We did not have school uniforms so sometimes I thought I’d fit in better if I had some of the clothes my friends had. My friends, though, were always jealous of my homemade lunches.

    Reply

  27. Things that made me feel like I’d fit in included clothes, music choices, having certain friends, having Lisa Frank and/or TrapperKeeper supplies…as far as lunch was concerned, Lunchables were all the rage.

    Reply

  30. Thank you so much for this. My kids are feeling like “outsiders” because they don’t have the pre packaged snacks. This will definitely help! We’re I am from the school encourages garbage free lunches so I don’t have to worry so much about packaging the granola bars up! I keep telling my children that one day they will thank me for making them healthy treats and not pre package junk!

    Reply

  31. I liked arrowhead mills on Facebook.

    Having a great lunchbox was a great way to fit in at school with the cool character/star.

    Trying to figure out how to copy pin URL.

    Reply

  36. When I was a kid I would have liked to have lunchables, but now I wonder what I was thinking. Everyone had them though lol.

    Reply

  38. Liked Arrowhead Mills on Facebook!!
    Pinned on Pinterest! http://www.pinterest.com/pin/575264552373526409/
    During school, I ate school lunch every single day. I was jealous of my friends who brought their lunch. The “cool” kids back then brought their lunches, in their fun lunch boxes, with their fancy homemade whatever. I would have loved to fit in with those cool kids!

    Reply

  39. Something that made me feel like I fit in at school was being part of scouts, both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. I was always a heavy kid, so didn’t do well with organized sports, so this was my place to bond with other kids my age since I didn’t have too many kids my age near my house. I honestly can’t recall much about my lunches as a kid other than I know I brought my lunch and remember a Thermos soup container which was one of the greatest inventions ever. (It probably held a lot of processed canned junk like chef boyardee or something, but I’m sure I got some homemade things as well)

    Reply

  41. Question: what would you use to make this nut free since my children both have classmates with severe nut allergies? I imagine sunflower butter would work just as well?

    Reply

    • Anthony – Any “nut free” butter will work so long as it gets hard or thick when it’s cold. (Like in the fridge)

      Reply

  45. Liked Arrowhead Mills on Facebook, and accidentally made my husband like it too since he was still signed in on Facebook. Thanks for making me aware of another great brand, Tiffany. Love your website and recipes!

    Reply

  58. Also, when I was a kid I always had an insulated lunch box but as I got older I felt so nerdy carring the thing around and just wanted my mom to use brown paper bags for my lunch every day. Now I use insulated lunch bags regularly to bring my food to work and wouldn’t dream of throwing away a lunch bag every day…

    Reply

  60. And here is my Pinterest link: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/177258935306873472/

    As a kid, I think I fit in by playing in extracurricular sports or joining in activities. Once I got to high school, I quit joining anything, and I seemed to start to struggle with friends. Those who didn’t like sports, clubs, school, etc seemed to be the “wrong crowd.” I’ve since gotten back with the right folks, but it was rough for awhile.

    Reply

  68. I pinned it but I don’t have experience with finding the URL on pinterest let alone the copy and paste part. So, hopefully I copied the correct URL
    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegraciouspantry.com%2Fclean-eating-oatmeal-granola-bars%2F&media=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegraciouspantry.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F09%2Fgranola-bars-h-with-ah-logo.jpg&guid=6niADw2917a2-0&description=Clean%20Eating%20No%20Bake%20Oatmeal%20Granola%20Bars

    Reply

  71. I think what helped me fit in as a kid were my girlfriends. We always stood up for each other, never let anyone get picked on, and when something bad happened to one of us, we closed ranks and helped each other heal. We all experienced loss at a young age, and my school counselor formed a group that we went to once a week to share our feelings and talk about things. I guess I never really thought about how lucky we all are to have each other. 25 years later and we are all still friends, and very drama free!

    Reply

  74. I liked them on Facebook!

    I’m a new follower, and I LOVE your site!! It’s been super helpful for learning about clean eating!!

    Reply

  76. These bars sound delicious. I am new to clean eating, but when I Iived in central Europe I made most meals from scratch, so I have been doing a lot of this – just did not know it had a name :-).

    Reply

  81. Pinned it on Pinterest.

    Not sure how to get the URL. Definitely trying these this afternoon. I’m sure my kids will love them

    Reply

  82. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/345440233889166280/

    Liked it on FB

    Was always the chubby kid growing up,most felt that I never fit in. I am on an insulin pump and it is difficult for me to loose weight. I am just learning about clean eating and could use all the help I can get, restocking pantry etc. threw out some stuff today, haven’t eaten processed food in 2 days!

    Reply

  85. What made me feel like I would fit in – Guess Jeans with the zippers at the ankles and an Espirit Bag. I still have those bags, but not the jeans. 🙂

    Reply

  87. Liked!

    Pinned!
    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/195484440049532904/

    Something that would have made me feel like I fit in better at school…..My parents were very dictatorial about clothes/hair/make-up/activities. They felt they were doing what was in my best interests, but when it comes to those teen years there’s got to be a happy medium. a conversation between parent and child, an understanding and a modicum of trust. There was none of that.

    Thanks Tiffany!

    Reply

  88. What a great idea. It looks yummy. If you want to make a wrapper, measure your bars and add 1/2 inch on one side and design a cool wrapper on your computer. You can print it on glossy paper and cut out, wrap and tape onto your bars. You can even personalize it. I make candy bar wrappers for showers and birthday parties and they are easy. You should wrap your bar in foil, plastic wrap or wax paper first.

    Reply

  89. I liked Arrowhead Mills on Facebook. I pinned this on Pinterest. As a child to try to fit and I had to wear the same clothing.

    Reply

  93. Pinned on Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/147633694008425013/

    As a kid, I did feel more like I fit in when I was eating the same food as my classmates. Or what looked like the same food… I packed my own lunch and made sandwiches that looked like what the other kids had. PB&J … but on whatever bread we had, not the Wonder Bread I knew they were eating. Treats portioned out in a baggie instead of chips in a store bought snack pack.

    Reply

  97. Here is my URL for my Pinterest pin:
    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/302093087476128597/

    As a younger kid in school, I think the lunches definitely played a part in what made me feel “cool” or not. We always wanted to see who else had what in their lunch boxes, my mom made some pretty great lunches! Of course, getting older, everything revolved around what clothes you wore, and as an awkwardly chubby kid, I was not one of the “cool” kids.

    Reply

  105. I was sometimes made fun of about my clothes, so probably having a different brand of jeans or something like that would have made me feel like I fit in more.

    Reply

  109. I like Arrowhead Mills on facebook & pinned your recipe, cant wait to try it. My kids love granola bars! When I was a kid I never wanted to bring in the leftover Cuban food my mom sent me in with. I just wanted to eat what everyone else at. Also my grandmother made my clothes so it made me feel even more like an oddball.

    http://www.pinterest.com/pin/304696731010483487/

    Reply

  110. I had previously liked arrowhead mills on facebook…I pinned the recipe on pinterest. I have been making granola bars for my husband and my son’s lunches. I can’t wait to try this recipe!! Being in the band beginning on sixth grade until I graduated helped me feel that I fit in. Also I had great friends and caring teachers that encouraged me to excell and that made me feel very much a part of my school!!

    Reply

  121. Well, I can’t join the contest because I am outside the US, but I will try making the bars, possibly with a few local substitutions. I’m happy my kids love healthy snacks and these will be great for them.

    Reply

  125. I like Arrowhead Mills on fb. I pinned this to http://www.pinterest.com/pin/12455336442904375/
    I thought it was great when I had enough money for a school lunch, hang out with friends and all. But we lived so close to school that I went home for lunch. No fun when both parents worked every day. Nothing hot, just whatever would make a sandwich. Never any leftovers cause mom never cooked anything but mac & cheese from a box. No fancy treats cause they were too expensive. No homemade treats either.

    Reply

  128. As a kid, I always thought that eating school lunches would help me fit in — it was an opportunity to sit with my friends who also bought lunch. Totally didn’t appreciate the magic that was having my mom make me lunch every day!

    Reply

  129. I don’t remember anything specifically that made me think about fitting in. Peer pressure “back then” wasn’t anything like it is today.

    Reply

  134. Let’s see. What did I feel would make me fit in. One thing was buying lunches. We always took our lunches and felt like if I could eat the same food as the other kids, I would be better accepted.

    Reply

  138. I just liked Arrowhead Mills. I had never head of them until now, but you can bet I’ll be checking them out. I’m GF and they are GMO-free to boot! Woo hoo!

    Reply

  142. I always brought my lunch to school but wanted to try the school lunch. I never did just bought ice cream. To make me fit in, I always wanted to wear jeans but couldn’t find my size. This was in the early ’70s and I was a bit chubby!

    Reply

  143. Ah, good one! I’d definitely say Gushers because for some reason my mom never would buy them for me, but everyone had them in their lunches!

    Reply

  144. I had alot of trouble fitting in at school, particularly in junior high and high school because my family moved to a new state and into a very small town. In that community, new kids were just not accepted and that was really hard. However, I do remember that in 4th grade my mom made me an awesome pilgrim outfit for a field trip… at that was a really good year. So, I think that helping your kids participate in school activities can really help. PS – I never liked those school lunches!

    Reply

  145. Hi there,
    I have been searching for a great granola bar recipe to send with my kids to school. Only problem is that I can’t send nuts and many homemade granola bar recipes call for a nut butter (peanut, almond etc.) Any suggestions? I know that someone said to me that Sunbutter (sunflower) works, but do you think it would alter the taste too much! Any tips would help!

    Reply

    • Nicole – It’s hard for me to say because I’ve never used sun butter. But I can’t imagine that it would change the flavor all that much. And with such a small yield, I think it’s worth a shot!

      Reply

  146. Just made these. I only had minute oats, so I added a few more. These taste like no bake cookies, which my family will love. I need to get some no sugar almond butter, all I can find locally has sugar. I actually prefer the sugar free nut butters!

    Reply

    • Stephanie – I don’t know that I would have made that association with the cookies. But I won’t argue! 🙂

      Reply

  147. Loved your story, you brought me back to my lunch break envys as a child. Funny when we look back but a reality for our kiddos. Look forward to making these yummy snacks.

    I am based in Abu Dhabi for the last 2 years, so if you ever want a cool place to travel to let me, My family has a really good restaurant “Tarbouche Al Basha” and I would love to share our yummys like you shared with me 🙂

    Reply

  148. This recipe sounds really yummy. I will try these to keep on hand for after school snacks. I was wondering if you have a “nut free” substitution for the almond butter as my children’s school is a nut free environment.

    Reply

    • AnneMarie – The only thing I can think of would maybe be Sun Butter. Not sure if that would work though. I’m not well versed in nut allergies.

      Reply

  149. I made these last week and have to say….they were “amaaazing” (the exact words our 7-year-old daughter used, and I have to agree). I used a dried berry mix of blueberries, cherries, and cranberries and added 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, and they turned out great. These will be a staple in our home, for sure. Thank you for your wonderful creativity and taking the guesswork out of play for so many of us :)!

    Reply

  151. Do you have the nutritional information for these bars? I meant to try to figure out the calories when making them and totally forgot.

    Reply

  152. I am new to your site and this is the first recipe I tried. They came out amazing! Way better than anything store bought. These were a great to go breakfast 🙂

    Reply

  153. I have been trying to find more choices for my husband’s breakfast. He gets burned out on cereal and oatmeal pretty quick so I think this with a smoothie or homemade Greek yogurt will be a different choice. Thank you for sharing your brilliance, I can’t wait to try them.

    Reply

  154. My family loves these granola bars!! I make them at least once a week using the base ingredients but change it up a bit by making various batches. I will add peanuts. Reduce the cinnamon, remove the cranberries and add raisins. We usually look at the granola bars at the grocery store and tweek this recipe to replicate them 🙂

    Reply

  155. We all love these! I used clean pb instead since that’s what I had on hand! 🙂 These are sure to be a new staple in our house! Thank you.

    Reply

  156. I’ve just made these but had to swap the cranberries for goji berries as I can’t seem to find unsweetened cranberries anywhere – grr! However they taste amazing and I will definitely be making them again.
    Almond butter is expensive in the UK so could you use peanut butter instead? X

    Reply

  157. This is delicious. My daughter and I made these today. I love them cold straight from the freezer. But question for you: How do you get these out of the dish easily? I used Coconut Oil Spray from Trader’s to oil it up, but they are hard to cut and to get out. Mine fell apart. Any suggestions?

    Reply

  158. I just made these, they’re so good! The process made my house smell good too with the heated up vanilla. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  159. Yum! These look awesome. We are going on a road trip in a couple of days and I think I will make these for the morning that we leave. They look like a great “grab and go” breakfast item. I shared this on my pinterest and facebook page 🙂

    Reply

    • Jodi – There are lots of online calculators you can enter the recipe into. I usually use MyFitnessPal.com. And in theory, you could add protein powder. But I’m not sure what that would do to the texture or if the bars would still hold together. You’d have to experiment a bit with that.

      Reply

  161. Delicious!! Healthy and quick treat.
    I definitely am going to try with protein next time.
    These sure are hearty as well.

    Reply

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