Homemade Nutrition Bars

[htwoopup]

There are a couple of really old threads about this but some of the linked pages on those are so old they now lead to computer nasty places so I thought it best to start a new thread.

Made these today...

IMG_0571 by Jon Mandel, on Flickr


This was the recipe that I used...

1 tsp coconut oil, melted
½ cup (120g) unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
⅓ cup (80mL) skim milk
1 tbsp (15mL) honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 ½ cups (250g) old-fashioned oats (measured like this and gluten-free, if necessary)
1 cup (140g) frozen unsweetened raspberries, diced

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat an 8”-square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the oil and applesauce until smooth. Mix in the milk, honey and cinnamon until thoroughly combined. Stir in the oats until evenly coated with the applesauce mixture. Gently fold in the raspberries.
Press the oat mixture into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 16-19 minutes. Cool completely to room temperature in the pan before slicing into 10 bars.

Not truly happy with them as they are a bit on the dry side.

So, a few questions that I would love any and all ideas on...

Any thoughts on how to make them moister but still hold together?

Any good recipes for other bars that you have and would share?

Any recipes you have that would be more protein-centric as these are on the opposite side of the food spectrum and I would like a balance?

Thanks for any thoughts you folks have.

[nick k]

Those look awesome! Looking quickly at your recipe you could try a few adjustments to retain more moisture since it is so lean right now. Increase the amount of honey or add sugar, and maybe switch to whole milk. You could also add butter or a few tablespoons of a neutral oil like grapeseed. If you're trying to make something delicious and good on the bike the extra fat and sugar calories will be no harm, but the hygroscopic properties of the added sugar and the fat will go a long way towards retaining moisture. Brown sugar would be especially delicious!

[rwsaunders]

I’ve always been tempted to try the Team Sky rice cake recipe...not sure how long they last though. Nobody else in the house would eat them.

Team Sky Rice Cakes - The Su Chef

[Too Tall]

This is on point. Not 10 mins. ago I was talking with my neighbor about this.
FWIIW I've been having really good luck with unrefined coconut packets. I thought that the fat would be a problem however it goes down perfectly and would definitely add that to homemade bars.
Listening....

[boots2000]

This woman posts on the Enve site- On their "journal".
I had these- they were quite good and traveled pretty well in my pockets on rides.
Long Ride Salted Chocolate Almond Butter Bars - ENVE

[Octave]

I’ve always been tempted to try the Team Sky rice cake recipe...not sure how long they last though. Nobody else in the house would eat them.

Team Sky Rice Cakes - The Su Chef

They don't last long - don't freeze well in my experience, either. If you're making them (or Allen Lim's version, which I think is even better) make sure you've got friends to share them with.

I've got about 30 recipes for various homemade bars and I'm happy to share some if people are interested. All are vegan, most are high-fat and all of them are delicious.

The best recommendation I can make if you're going down this road is to make (or buy) some beeswax wraps or something similar. One of the reasons I switched to making homemade bars years ago was my frustration with all of the waste in packaging. A lot of the packaging once you get past the cardboard box isn't even really recyclable depending on where you live. I have a dozen wax wraps that are in constant rotation holding ride food and keeping leftovers covered in the fridge. They last years (as in, I made 15 of them 5 years ago and still have 12), are easy to make, and will save an endless amount of plastic baggies, sandwich wrap..etc. if you're making homemade bars.

[Too Tall]

Agreed. I've been making Lim's rice bombs off and on for years. Think of it as a fresh item, they do not keep well....maybe a few days. Boy-o-boy they are great and worth the effort.

[marley]

Agreed. I've been making Lim's rice bombs off and on for years. Think of it as a fresh item, they do not keep well....maybe a few days. Boy-o-boy they are great and worth the effort.

get a set of onigiri molds

- great way to get a tight ball and you can stuff them

[htwoopup]

I've got about 30 recipes for various homemade bars and I'm happy to share some if people are interested. All are vegan, most are high-fat and all of them are delicious.

I would love at least a couple-few of them.

The bars on the Enve site that @boots2000 posted look good also and I am going to make up a batch.

I am on a mission to find a rotation of 4-5 "go to" staples in total so that I have some variety.

Thanks for anything you can share either here or in a message!

[htwoopup]

A little on the carb side with not much in the "staying power" food groups so more of a pick-me-up rather than solid fueling during a ride I think. But quite tasty. Think it is the large amount of cinnamon. Might up the applesauce a quarter of a cup from the following.

IMG_0604 by Jon Mandel, on Flickr

2 1/2 cups oats
3/4 cup applesauce
2 TBL almond or peanut butter
2 TBL maple syrup
2 TBL honey
1 TBL vanilla extract
1 TBL cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped dried figs
1/3 cup chopped dates
1/3 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup coconut flakes
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Mix wet stuff.
Mix in oats.
Mix in dry stuff.

Press into baking dish. 350 for 18 minutes.