QUINOA COCONUT GRANOLA BAR RECIPE!
We’ve been a big fan of granola bars as a snack for kids for a long time. Not only can they provide some concentrated energy, but they are portable, shelf stable, they don’t make a lot of mess, and you can eat them with your hands. We also love that you can pack homemade granola bars with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit that your kids already like. They can take on so many different textures and flavors. We are always sure to add nuts. They are less expensive to make at home if you compare them to a trail mix bar or other nutty bars from the store.
To create these granola bars, we started with our classic, goo-to favorite granola bar recipe, and updated it to add quinoa.
- We started by roasting our oats and quinoa in the oven. Just for about ten minutes to make it nice and toasty.
- Then we added nuts and coconut.
- A separate mixture of peanut butter and honey was warmed up to combine.
- We then mixed it altogether and baked it. It was super easy! (full Quinoa Coconut Granola Bar Recipe below)
*For a tastier treat, we melted some semi-sweet chocolate and dipped the bottom of the granola bars in it!
QUINOA GRANOLA BAR!
Quinoa! Have you tried it yet? Do your kids like it? Cooked Quinoa definitely has a distinct flavor, but have you ever added uncooked quinoa to things like your granola? It may look like bird seed (according to my husband), but it adds a yummy- nutty flavor to your granola or granola bars! And quinoa is one of our favorite SUPER FOODS!
Tons of people wonder why you should even care about Quinoa? This super food has loads of healthy benefits.
According to my favorite website (World’s Healthiest Foods):
This unique combo of anti-inflammatory compounds in quinoa may be the key to understand preliminary animal studies that show decreased risk of inflammation-related problems (including obesity) when fed to animals on a daily basis.
(also from WH Foods) In comparison to cereal grasses like wheat, quinoa is higher in fat content and can provide valuable amounts of heart-healthy fats like monounsaturated fat (in the form of oleic acid). Quinoa can also provide small amounts of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
We have many more delicious granola bar recipes, including:
- Homemade granola bar bowls recipe
- Grab and Go Granola Bars
- Peanut butter chocolate no bake granola bar bites
- Granola Cookie recipe
- Quinoa breakfast bars
- Peanut butter chocolate trail mix granola bar
- Nut Free Granola bar
So, start adding more granola bars to your families snack station.
Quinoa Coconut Granola Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats, dry
- 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 cup cranberries, dried
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup peanut butter, all-natural
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a ceramic or glass 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread oats and quinoa onto a cookie sheet and toast in preheated oven for 8 minutes (watch to make sure they don’t overbrown). Place mixture in a large bowl and add coconut, nuts, and dried cranberries.
- In a medium saucepan, combine salt, peanut butter, honey, oil, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then immediately remove from heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir together until dry ingredients are evenly coated.
- Pour into prepared baking dish, pressing the mixture down into the pan. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Cool for up to 2 hours, then cut and serve.
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
For more ideas on getting fruits and vegetables in at every meal, check out our meal plan memberships!
