Saturday, April 14, 2012

Banana-Honey Granola Bars

Good morning, y'all! It's a beautiful Saturday here in east North Carolina! The sun is shining and we couldn't ask for a better day :)

I went running this morning, twice actually. Always like to put it towards the front of the list on a Saturday to be sure it gets done, especially when I have a long run scheduled.  Both runs were 30 min long and I covered a total of 6 miles with a stretching break in the middle. I wasn't going for distance so much as trying to increase my endurance. Now if I can just put those two training sessions together that would be great! I'm hoping to run my very 1st 10K soon!


{This was my salad from last night's supper}

Okay, so onto the fun part! Granola bars!!! I love anything with carbs. Ooh, now my body doesn't always appreciate the results of those desires, but we're working on that :P

{A shot of the ingredients}

I searched and searched to find a recipe that didn't call for flour or white sugar, all too no avail! Ahh! I just wanted a wholesome granola bar recipe... Thankfully, I stumbled across one and I love it!

So here's the recipe I found with a few modifications:

Real Food Runner Granola Bars
1 medium, very ripe banana
2 cups raw oats
1/2 cup Smucker's peanut butter
1/2 cup raw honey
2 tablespoons flaxseed powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice blend
dried cranberries (I sprinkled close to a cup, whatever works for you)

Mix it all up and press into pan. Cut into squares. Enjoy for your post-workout snack or a grab-and-go!


And... the finished product!


You can even wrap them up as gifts for friends or send with the kids for a healthy snack!


What kitchen creations have you made recently? Anyone else training for a race? I'd love to hear!!! It always excites me to hear from my readers :) 

9 comments:

Tami Grandi said...

Those look really good (wish I could eat peanut butter!)

A Brew of Blessings said...

These look super YUM-O! Do you know what the nutrition stats are...carbs? fiber? calls? Just curious! Can't wait to try these :)

Katherine said...

Could you try substituting with almond or coconut butter? Just a thought!

Katherine said...

Hi Tara- I got the base recipe from this link (http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=1046952) and it has nutrition facts listed. I used 1/2 the peanut butter called for but than I add dried fruit so I'm not sure what mine turned out to be exactly, but I'd image they are at least close to the original recipe :)

Samantha said...

Those look delicious.... I'm definitely going to have to whip these up sometime soon! If you get a chance, check out my latest post about Blogging Advice! I would love to hear your input:)

www.lovecleansing.blogspot.com

Diana said...

That looks good!

I've tagged you on a post... :)

http://petitemini.blogspot.se/2012/04/lets-talk-about-me.html

xoxo

Anonymous said...

Looks delish!
I was wondering if you know how long the bars are good for? I live alone, so I would take a while to eat the entire batch.

MomWhatsForDinner said...

I will have to make these for my daughter. She loves all things banana!

Becca said...

These sound great! Easy to make and healthy! Care to share at my Healthy Tuesday hop? ahumblebumble.blogspot.com