These granola bars are filling, flavorful, and make a great high-protein and high-fiber snack.  Feel free to make your own substitutions like dried fruit instead of chocolate or almond instead of vanilla extract.   I use jaggery in place of ¼ cup brown rice syrup because of the health benefits.  I love to wrap them individually for a healthy on-the-go snack, and you can store the extras in the freezer for several weeks!

Dry Ingredients:

•  1 cup puffed kamut
  
•  1 ½ cups rolled oats
  
•  1 cup raw almonds
  
•  1/2 cup walnuts
  
•  1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1/4 cup protein powder
• 1/4 cup milled flax (or 3 tablespoons roasted flax seeds)
• ¼- ½  cup sunflower seeds
• ¼- ½  cup pepitas
• 1/4 cup chia seeds 
• 1/4 cup coconut (unsweetened shredded)
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or dried fruit)
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dissolved jaggery (syrup)
  
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
  
• 1/2 cup honey
  
• 1/4 cup canola oil
  
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Place puffed kamut, 1 ½ cup rolled oats, almonds, and walnuts in a food processor and pulse until the mixture reaches a coarse meal consistency.  

In a large bowl combine the remaining 1 cup rolled oats, wheat germ, milled flax (or flax seeds), chia seeds, protein powder, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and coconut.  Stir in the processed kamut/oat/nut mixture until everything is well combined.  Last, stir in the chocolate chips (or dried fruit). 

In a small nonstick saucepan prepare the jaggery syrup by dissolving about ½ cup of small jaggery chunks in 2-3 tablespoons of water.  Melt over low heat stirring constantly until the jaggery is dissolved and the syrup has the consistency of honey.  If it’s too thin, simmer for a few minutes until some of the water evaporates and the liquid thickens being careful not to let it burn.  Remove the syrup from heat and add to the saucepan the honey, canola oil, peanut butter and vanilla extract.  Stir 2-3 minutes over low heat just until the mixture comes to a boil and is well combined.  Allow the liquid to cool about 5 minutes so it doesn’t melt the chocolate once added to the dry mixture.  

Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until everything is evenly coated.  Turn the mixture out onto a 9x13 inch baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and coated with cooking spray.  Using the back of a greased spatula or measuring cup, press the mixture down firmly into the pan until it’s packed well.

Bake at 250 degrees F for about 60-80 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut into bars while still slightly warm as the bars will harden once cooled.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freeze them for weeks.

Download the printer-friendly version: Crunchy Protein Granola Bars
 

I couldn't think of a better way to kick off 2013 than by creating a forum to provide my patients and the general public with information to take better care of themselves.  

This site was created to call upon my experiences as a family physician and convey helpful advice regarding nutrition, exercise, stress management and overall wellness.  Every day I have the pleasure of caring for people of all ages and from a variety of backgrounds.  My goal is to provide patients the resources to be actively involved in their health.  

Check back soon for updates and new content to help us all get a healthy start to the New Year!