Packaged diet bars often contain preservatives and excess sugar or sugar alcohols, and they cost much more than making your own from scratch. Preparing your own nutritious diet bars at home allows for customization of the recipe to suit your tastes and nutritional needs, and you'll know exactly what goes into them. In "The Flax Cookbook," Elaine Magee recommends making a batch, wrapping them, and freezing for a convenient, compact boost of nutrition that you can take anywhere.
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Chop the dried fruit into small, bite-size pieces, and place in a saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Step 2
Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until thickened, about three to four minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the fruit from sticking.
Step 3
Remove the pan from the heat, and add the vanilla extract. Stir until thoroughly combined, and set the pan aside to cool.
Step 4
Combine the oats, flaxseed, brown sugar, flour, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the melted butter and pancake syrup on top of the oat mixture, and mix well with an electric mixer or pastry blender on medium speed.
Step 5
Coat an 8- or 9-inch baking pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. Spread 2 cups of the oat mixture in the bottom of the pan, and press firmly into place with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Spread the dried fruit mixture evenly on top.
Step 6
Add the chopped nuts to the remaining oat mixture, and mix well with an electric mixer or pastry blender. Spread evenly over the dried fruit mixture, and pat firmly in place.
Step 7
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven, cool for 30 to 45 minutes, and cut into 1-inch bars. Store in a covered container for up to three days.
Tips and Warnings
- Dried fruit contains fiber, vitamin A from beta-carotene, vitamin E, niacin, iron, magnesium and carbohydrates, according to the European Food Information Council. Also very low in fat, dried fruit makes a healthy addition to homemade diet bars. Try dried apricots, raisins, dates, prunes, figs, cranberries or cherries. Flaxseed contains alpha-linolenic acid, also known as ALA, an essential fatty acid that may provide benefit to sufferers of heart disease, high cholesterol, arthritis and a variety of other health problems, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Grind your own seeds in a coffee grinder for the best results. If you don't have access to flaxseed, substitute finely ground oatmeal. This recipe yields approximately 10 nutritious diet bars, each containing about 303 calories, 10 g of fat, 5.2 g of fiber, and 5.3 g of protein. Freeze any diet bars you won't eat within three days. To thaw, place in the microwave on high power for up to two minutes, checking every 30 seconds.
Things You'll Need
- 8 oz. dried fruit
- Saucepan
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup quick cooking oats
- 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- Large mixing bowl
- 4 tbsp. butter, melted
- 1/2 cup light pancake syrup
- Electric mixer or pastry blender
- 8- or 9-inch baking pan
- Vegetable oil cooking spray
- 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Flaxseed
- The European Food Information Council: What Are the Nutritional Benefits of Dry Fruit?
- "The Flax Cookbook"; Elaine Magee; 2002
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