Energetic Eatmore Bars

Today in the road trip series, I’m sharing a delicious recipe perfect to pack for travel! Everyone knows that road trips involve lots of gas/restroom stops…perfect opportunities to grab munchies. But gas stations are a little shy of the healthy options. This road trip, I’m packing up some nourishing options in our trusty ‘lil cooler to help satisfy the cravings. In our cooler: lots of water, fruit, some homemade banana bread & some energetic Eatmore bars! Here is Jacqui’s wonderful recipe for this delicious treat.

Energetic ‘Eatmore’ Bars

I love a good Eatmore bar especially as a snack during a big day hike on one of our favourite mountain trails.  But when I had to go gluten free I sadly realized that this snack was off limits to me.  I can go without pretty much any cake, cupcake or chocolate bar but for some reason asking me to give up my occasional indulgence in this sweet treat was just asking too much of me.  So I set out to try to replicate it as best as I can.  To be honest, I don’t really remember the true taste of the Eatmore as this bar has completely, 100% filled its void.

What You’ll Need

• 1 cup wheat-gluten free oats
• ½ cup dates, equivalent of 6-8 dates (organic medjool are best, seed removed)
• 1 cup organic raisins
• 1 cup organic peanuts (or walnuts)
• 1 cup organic sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup organic sesame seeds
• ¾ cup liquid honey (good quality)
• ¾ cup organic peanut butter
• ¼ cup cashew butter (or use 1 cup peanut butter)
• ½ cup good quality unsweetened cocoa
• 1 tsp vanilla

Put the oats in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.  Put in a large mixing bowl and set aside.  Throw the raisins, dates and nuts (not the seeds though) into the food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.  Add to the oats.  Add the seeds to this mixture.  Stir.

In a medium saucepan heat the nut butters, honey and cocoa and stir until combined.  Keep a close eye on this, as the mixture is so thick it can scorch easily.  (If you scorch your mixture, do not bother adding it to your dry ingredients as it will have a bitter, burnt taste…I learned this the hard way!) 

Working quickly, add the hot ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly coated.  Pat into a parchment lined loaf pan and chill.  When slightly hardened remove from the pan by lifting out with the parchment paper and slice into bars.  Store in the fridge or freezer between parchment or wax paper.   

Feel free to nudge your flavour profile in a direction you choose by altering your seed/nut combos, seed/nut butter combos, and honey flavours (buckwheat, clover, etc).  I have made pumpkin bars by replacing the peanut butter and sunflower seeds with pumpkin seed butter and pumpkin seeds.  You can also make this peanut free by substituting almond butter and walnuts.  Or you can make this nut free by swapping in seed butter (sunflower, pumpkin, etc) for the nut butter, and doubling up on the sunflower seeds in lieu of nuts.  The flavour combos are only limited by your imagination and food tolerances.

I love wrapping these when frozen and packing in our backpack to snack on the trail.  They are a great sustaining source of energy for both the grownups and the wee ones to make it to the top of the trail!

Enjoy! Jacqui xo