I had a snack epiphany this week.

As I loaded my groceries into my reusable bags, I looked at my food choices in a different light this week. As a vegetarian, an Integrative Nutritionist, and a momma, my food selection is pretty top tier when it relates to healthy choices. But this week I found almost all of the ‘easy go to snacks’ for my daughter on sale, so I stock piled. I felt like I was grocery shopping in the pandemic — remember when we would panic buy just in case the stores closed or things stopped being available completely? That was what my snack haul looked like.

I purchase all organic snacks. From the granola bars to popsicles, the convenience snacks are all organic. But organic does not mean healthy. And while the snacks in our household are often veggies and hummus, raw nuts and seeds, sliced fruit or a cup or two of berries, we still do have a few snacks from the pantry that are easy for grab and go.

But then came the epiphany…the ingredients lists are not something I am excited about. In fact, one example had me shocked. The Organics Banana and Strawberry Popsicles didn’t have one fruit ingredient in them.

There has to be a better way.

Homemade popsicles has been a go-to for our little family for quite some time. We make shakes in the blender with frozen fruit and yogurt, and the leftovers are poured into our popsicle molds and voila! Super healthy tasty treats. But what about all the granola bars and bites? So that night, my little one and I got to work and developed this Healthy Granola Bar recipe with a few variations of it below. And if you like it, be sure to sign up for my newsletter here and get more recipes delivered to your inbox every week.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of no sugar applesauce or mashed banana
• ½ cup of peanuts only organic peanut butter (can use any nut or seed butter here)
• 1/3 cup of honey (use maple syrup to make it vegan or for a different flavour)
• 2/3 cup of unsweetened almond milk (can use any milk option here)
• 2 cups of oats
• ¼ cup of ground flax seed (could also use North Coast Naturals Daily Cleanse here, if looking for extra fiber)
• ¼ cup of hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup of cranberries
• ½ cup of dark chocolate chips
• ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pumpkin seeds
*Note! The last 3 ingredients to be a total of 1 and a quarter cups of any flavour options you enjoy with regards to nuts, seeds, chocolate and/or dried fruit.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat an eight-inch square pan with olive or coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce (or banana), peanut butter (or alternative) and honey (or maple syrup). Once combined stir in the milk.
3. Stir in the oats, flax and hemp seeds with a spatula. Once combined stir in the additional nuts, seeds, chocolate and/or dried fruit.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
6. Let cool for minimum one hour before cutting. Cut into squares for snack size bites or longer bars if you wish.
7. Bars can be stored in the fridge in an air-tight container for five days, or in the freezer for 2-3 months.

While this week won’t be my last for convenient snack purchasing, I do hope to add a few more homemade options to my repertoire of snacks for my family. And if you’re looking for more healthy recipes, check out our 3 Favorite Salads here and sign up for our newsletter here!