'Melt in your mouth' soft muesli power bars

Hi healthy food lovers! :)

I'm excited to share today a new recipe that I have wanted to create for a very long time, 'power bars.' However, this is no ordinary power bar! This bar is made with no flours, additional sugars, oils, shortenings or preservatives, making it 100% healthy in my foodtarian eyes :). The ingredients are completely customisable if you have any allergies or dislikes to what I have used. However, I do hope you give my listed ingredients a go! These bars are the perfect mix or crunchy and sweet. 

Soft muesli power bars

Serves: approximately 20, depending on your pan size
Time: 15 - 20 minutes cooking, up to 6 hours refrigeration

Ingredients

• 170 grams whole grain puffed rice (no sugar additives)
• 120 grams quick cooking rolled oats
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup sugar free maple syrup
• 140 grams honey
• 20 grams smooth peanut butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 50 grams pepita/sunflower seed mix, unsalted, unroasted 
• 50 grams shelled oven roasted pistachios, unsalted
• 30 grams unsalted, unroasted peanuts, shelled

Method

1. Preheat oven 160 degrees Celsius. 
2. Chop all nuts in half.
3. Place all dry ingredients (oats, rice, cinnamon, cranberries, nuts) in a very large mixing bowl.
4. Place the peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt (approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute).
5. Add the maple syrup and honey to the peanut butter mix.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together until combined.
7. Spread the mixture into a slice baking tray and cook in the oven for approximately 15 - 20 minutes (the mixture should be browned), turning halfway through cooking time (note: cooking times for ovens will vary).
8. Leave the slice to cool, then place in the refrigerator until set (this can take anywhere between 3 - 6 hours for a firm setting).
9. Once set, cut your slice into approximately 20 slices.
10. Enjoy!

These power bars are an excellent snack  before the gym, to take with you on the go, or even as a quick breakfast!

I hope you enjoyed them as much as I loved making them.

Happy healthy eating! :)

The Active Foodtarian

Snack Attack!

Hello all! :)

Firstly, thank you to anyone who has visited my blog so far! :) I know I haven't posted many recipe creations for a while, but that is about to change. From now on, I'm aiming to post at least one recipe or food entry per week to keep up with the blogger-sphere :) If you have any suggestions or recipes you would like me to make 'healthier,' please leave a comment below or on my Pinterest board and I will get back to you.

Anyway....onto today's post :). It's Monday and we all know what that means, the start of the working week :(. Hopefully, these two snack ideas will cheer you up! Blueberry Greek Yoghurt Muffins and Power Berry Trail Mix. They are sure to keep you awake and energized as in-between meal snacks.

Blueberry Greek Yoghurt Muffins

Serves: 10 - 12 (depending on the size of your muffin pan)

Time: 15 - 30 minutes preparation time,      20 - 25 minutes cooking time

Ingredients:

• 280 grams Wholemeal Self-Raising Flour
• 110 grams Quick Cooking Oats
• 1/2 cup Raw Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 1/2 cup Non-Fat Greek Yoghurt
• 4 Egg Whites
• 3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce (or pureed Apple)
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
• 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Blueberries 
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

Optional:

• Cinnamon sugar for topping

Method:

1. Preheat oven 160 degrees Celsius and coat muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Beat egg-whites and sugar for 1 minute in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix baking soda with applesauce (yes, it should froth), then add to the bowl.
4. Add in the rest of the wet ingredients (Greek yoghurt, vanilla extract, blueberries and almond milk).
5. Sift flour and cinnamon together, then add in quick oats to the flour mixture.
6. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold together gently until just mixed together (Do not over-mix)! It is important that you do this with care, otherwise the muffins will be tough!
7. Spoon mixture into muffin tins. At this point, you can add the optional cinnamon sugar topping if you wish.
8. Bake until golden with perfection, approximately 20-25 minutes. Remember to turn your muffins halfway through cooking time for even baking! :)

Power Berry Tail Mix

Serves: 12 (30g serve)

Time: Anywhere between 5 - 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 80 grams Raw, Shelled Pistachios
• 10 grams Pepita and Sunflower Seed Mix (I used the Sunbeam brand)
• 30 grams Oven Roasted Almonds
• 1 cup Dried Cranberries (I use Ocean Spray 50% less sugar dried cranberries)
• 1/2 cup Amazin Berry Blend (Sunsweet brand) (It is a mixture of dried prunes, cranberries, cherries and blueberries)
• 15 grams Cashews (I suggest chopping the cashews in half to spread them throughout the mixture)

Method:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl! :)
2. Store in airtight clip-lock bags or a sealed container in a dry place.

Snack Preparation Complete! :)

I hope you all enjoy these recipes as much as I loved making them! If you would like to see nutritional information posted with future recipes, please leave a comment on this blog or on my Pinterest page. Keep tuning into my blog and I will hopefully post a weekly update every Monday.

Happy Healthy Eating! :)

The Active Foodtarian

Ginger Granola Nuggets....You've struck gold!

A simple breakfast staple for many, a necessity for others, granola is definitely my go-to topping for fruit, yoghurt and oatmeal. With its crunchiness, you won't believe how good it tastes. Freshly baked, it snaps with perfection, you won't be able to resist downing the whole batch in less than five minutes! I find this recipe is perfect to curb my cravings. It's there every morning, as I make enough for the whole week. However, if I go back for seconds....that's a different story :)

I love the bite of the ginger, but if you're not a fan of spices, feel free to leave them out or simply reduce the amount compared to what I use. Don't mind me, I'm just obsessed with ginger at the moment, and pumpkin, and all things fall related! It's simple, easy and quick to make, get baking now! :)

Ginger granola nuggets

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups rolled oats (not quick cooking oats!)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
• 1/2 cup apple puree 
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped glace ginger
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (imitation vanilla extract works fine too)

Optional add-ins (add after baking):

• 1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I prefer pistachios, peanuts and almonds)
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries (I'm sure any dried berry would taste just as sensational!)

Method:

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius

1. Place all of the dry ingredients (oats, ground ginger and cinnamon) into a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. 
2. In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the wet ingredients (syrup, apple puree, ginger and vanilla).
3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Line one or two baking trays with non-stick baking paper (It depends on how wide your trays are).
5. Spread the granola evenly onto the tray/s. It should be clumped close together, like making granola bars.
6. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.
7. Rotate your trays and bake for a further fifteen minutes (Note: All oven times will vary, so watch your granola carefully or it will burn! Trust me!)
8. Once the granola is crispy and golden brown, remove from the oven and leave to cook completely.
9. Once cooled, break your granola into chunks, or 'nuggets', and place in an airtight container (I recommend a glass jar, as I have found this keeps it fresh for at least a week) and store in a dry place (e.g. cupboard, dry counter-top).
10. INDULGE! :)