Get Fed: Healthy DIY Energy Bar Recipe

Photo by Rhea Cortado

This is a guest post by Surf and Swim Ambassador Rhea Cortado.

I love the energy bars at the supermarket, but they can add up to be expensive, and I don’t like that the second ingredient is often brown rice syrup, which is used as a binder to get all the dry ingredients to stick together.

I use dates, banana, honey and coconut oil as the glue. Honey and dates are sticky and have a lot of sugar so it satisfies a sugar craving, but it’s the natural kind of sugar that your body will be burning in a jiffy while you get sweaty. This recipe offers volume (whole rolled oats), the right amount of fat and crunch (nuts) and some sweetness (dates)—it tastes like a bowl of cereal in portable snack form.

It's also super-customizable to your preferences. If you don’t have flax seed meal and cacao nibs, no big deal. If coconut’s not your thing (I don’t know how we can be friends), or if you prefer walnuts instead of pecans, just make sure that the volumes are the same proportions when you make a substitution. 

Ingredients after the jump!

Ingredients

The Dry Stuff:

1 1/2 cups whole rolled oats

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/2 pecans

1/4 cup pepitas

2 Tbsp coconut flakes

2 Tbsp flax seed meal (great fiber!)

1 Tbsp cacao nibs (a super food that's like bits of dark chocolate)

The Wet Stuff:

13 dates (about 1 1/2 cups packed)

1 small very ripe banana (about 1/2 cup mashed)

1 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp coconut oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop the nuts. Mix all the dry stuff together in a bowl.

2. Mash up the banana and put it in a small pot with the coconut oil and honey. Heat it on the stovetop on low until combined.

3. Remove the pits on the dates if they are not already upitted. Chop into small pieces so they are raisin-sized.

4. If you have a food processor, congratulations. Mix all the wet stuff into the bowl of dry ingredients. Dump the whole mess in the food processor and pulse until it begins to stick together.

5. If you don't have a food processor, chop the dates into the smallest pieces you can. When it begins taking on a pasty consistency, add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until sticky. Keep breaking up the dates that want to stick together in a lump. It's done when you can pick up a piece and form it into a ball that doesn't fall apart. Try adding more honey if it's too dry.

6. Pack the mixture down into an 8"x8" pan lined with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, grease the pan with olive oil.

7. Put it in the oven for 30-35 minues. Watch until it looks pretty solid.

8. Let cool at room temperature. Slice into squares, wrap them up and enjoy. They will keep for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.