Bars!

With less then a week to go until the 7 day west coast adventure, I've been busy today making healthy squares to take...for either on the bike or afterwards.
Some pretty good sucess with some new recipes.

Fiber Rich Flax-Oat-Almond Bars (haha, that's a mouth-full...gotta come up with a better name)

1cup Whole rolled oats
1 cup flax meal
1/2 cup Almond flour or meal
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup agave nectar or maple syrup
2 tablespoon fruit juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoon canola oil
1 egg

Soak raisin in cold water for 5-10 minutes.Drain all water.
Coarsely grind the oats in a blender or grinder.Transfer in a large mixing bowl.Now coarsely chop the raisins in the blender. Whisk egg and combine it with processed oats and rest of the ingredients until well mixed.
Line the baking pan(8x8) with parchment paper or lightly grease it with oil.Spread the mixture evenly on the prepared pan.Bake at 350F for 18-20 minutes until firm to touch.

Pretty tasty...it was actually a Vegan recipe but I am a big fan of edible animal products so I added the egg for a little extra protein and it holds everything together better.


Fruit Chocolate and Almond Granola Bars

2cups cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup Almonds or Pecans
1/4 cup honey or 1/2 cup agave nectar
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries
1/4 cup Dark chocolate coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 Egg

Place the oats and chopped nuts on a cookie sheet,toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally.
Transfer them in a mixing bowl and let cool for few minutes.
Mix in the chopped chocolate ,cinnamon and flour
Whisk the egg in another bowl and stir in the the honey,Olive oil and salt.
Add the egg mixture to the oat mixture.
Spread the mixture on the baking dish(9x8 inches) lined with Aluminum foil .Press down evenly distributing the mixture.
Bake for about 25-30minutes at 325F.



Oh ya, I've been very much on a Hemp Heart kick so I added hemp hearts to both of them :)
Next.....momma's secret steroid squares....uber easy and super tastey...mmmmm....but not very healthy...hehehe...but during 7 days of riding I think it's okay :)