Ditch the store-bought snacks and make a batch of these low fat granola bars. Lower in sugar and fat, but with plenty of flavor.
From all of your responses to Recipes for Good Healthy and Weight Loss in 2012, it sounds as though many of you are dedicated to either continuing healthy habits or creating some new ones. I alluded to a weight loss journey I have been on over the past several months and will be giving you tips and tricks that have worked for me. Let's start with what they call "the most important meal of the day". No, I'm not referring to that bowl of ice cream at 10pm when the kids are in bed and the sugary treats begin their siren call. I'm talking about breakfast. That is where these low fat granola bars, packed with bananas, dried cranberries and pecans, come into play.
Both my husband and I are runners and we log enough miles in the week to get our hunger urges revving at full speed. In addition, my husband lifts free weights and I attend an aerobic/strength training class a couple of times per week. That's where this recipe comes in. The amazing woman who teaches the strength training class often provides us with her favorite healthy eating tips and the occasional recipe. I took this recipe, filled with fiber and natural sugars, and made a few tweaks based on my family's taste preferences. It works perfectly as pre-exercise fuel or to curb afternoon hunger cravings.
These granola bars are soft and chewy rather than crispy and have a pleasing level of natural sweetness from the bananas, ground cinnamon and grated nutmeg. However, if you prefer granola bars with a touch more sweetness, consider adding a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup or honey. I snuck in some healthy omega-3 fats in the form of ground flax seeds, which are available in most grocery stores. Actually, we found our last batch of flax seed meal at Costco for a smokin' price.
One of these bars, along with half an apple gives me enough fuel to carry me through my workouts. If you're looking for an alternative, try my Healthy Yogurt Parfaits with Blueberries & Granola.
What are your favorite ways to fuel-up before your workouts? I'd love to hear your ideas.
The recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9- by 13-inch baking sheet with parchment paper, with about 1 inch of parchment paper overlapping the sides.
Spread out the oats and chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Place in the oven until they are lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with the back of a fork. Stir in applesauce until combined.
Transfer the oats and pecans to a large bowl and stir in dried cranberries, ground flax seed (flax meal), cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Stir the banana mixture into the oat mixture until well combined and starting to clump together. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and press down evenly.
Bake until the bars are golden brown and starting to separate from sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Let cool to room temperature, then cut into bars. Serve or store in an airtight container.
Other granola bars recipes:
Family Fresh Cooking's Telluride Trail Bars
Two Peas and Their Pod's Peanut Butter Granola Balls
Brown Eyed Baker's Crunchy Good-for-You Granola Bars
Shutterbean's Fully Loaded Granola Bars
Printable Recipe
Low Fat Granola Bars with Bananas, Cranberries & Pecans
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cup oats
- ¾ cup roughly chopped pecans
- 3 large ripe bananas
- â…” cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed or flax meal
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line a 9- by 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, with about 1 inch of parchment paper overlapping the sides.
- Spread out the oats and chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Place in the oven until they are lightly toasted, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas with the back of a fork. Stir in applesauce until combined.
- Transfer the oats and pecans to a large bowl and stir in dried cranberries, ground flax seed (flax meal), cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Stir the banana mixture into the oat mixture until well combined and starting to clump together. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and press down evenly.
- Bake until the bars are golden brown and starting to separate from sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
- Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan. Let cool to room temperature, then cut into bars.
- Serve or store in an airtight container.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Daniela
Hi, do those bars last for as long as bought musli bars? Or do you rather recommend to eat them in couple of days? Thank you 🙂
Veronica
CONGRATULATIONS!! I've been SCOURING the internet, googling "healthy granola bars" and all of the recipes I found had 1/2c to 1 c of sugars (white, brown, maple syrup, agave, honey etc etc etc) ... hardly healthy!!!
So, CONGRATULATIONS on being the first genius on the internet who has figured out granola bars without the sugar. I can't wait to try these. Oh, and then adapt them!! And then make some of your other delicious recipes.
HoneyBun
Made these last night. I personally did not care the banana flavour and lack of sweetness. I ended up breaking up all the bars and putting them in a food processor along with 1/4 cup of maple syrup, 1 tbsp of honey, 3 tbsp of melted butter, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of salt. Re-bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Result: Acceptable granola!
Erin
these look great! does anyone have an idea of how many calories are in one bar?
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Erin, the nutritional information is listed at the bottom of the recipe, at the end of the post. The information is relevant for one bar, assuming that you cut the pan of them into 18 bars. I hope you enjoy them!
Amanda S.
Hi Dara,I made the bars this morning and they turned out great,just wondered can these bars be frozen or just kept in the fridge? And how long do they last since they have the banana in them?
Cheryl Maksymowski
I too was wondering about the nutritional values... How would I enter these into myfitnesspal? Can't wait to make them - they look so tasty!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
I will update this recipes in the next day or two, listing the nutritional values. In the meantime, you can enter ingredient lists under the recipe tab (when accessing MFP from your computer). Give the recipe a name, list the ingredients and number or servings, and MFP will figure out the nutritional info for you. It will save that recipe for you so that you can click on it each time you use it. It's a little work up front, but makes things so much easier later.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Cheryl, I updated the post to include the nutritional information. I hope that helps.
Jenn
Has anyone tried these yet? I made them but the texture is a bit dense in the middle - a bit like a sponge - anyone else experience this or is it just my baking skills, haha
They are still good so I will eat them, just wondering if that's what the recipe is like.
Jes
These look fantastic! Do you happen to have the nutritional information - more specifically, the amount of calories? Sorry if it's listed somewhere, but I can't seem to find it.
Thanks!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Jes, I updated the post to include the nutritional information. I hope that helps.
Shea
I found this entry when searching for some satisfying, lower calorie granola bars for an upcoming road trip. These bars look delicious! Just what I was looking for. Being fruit sweetened is a bonus. Since I'm allergic to nuts, it's also nice to just have one thing to substitute 😉 I imagine a mix of toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds will work perfectly. Thanks!
Deanna F
I made there last night. I used dried blueberries, raisins, and dates in place of the cranberries. I also put in pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and almonds for the amount of cashews. It's such a great base recipe for creating a yummy and healthy snack! I'm in my first trimester and was wanting a good granola bar that was low in sugar and didn't have soy....that pretty much eliminated every bar in the grocery store. But these are just right, thanks so much for the recipe! : )