make your OWN granola bars, girl.

Lady Bit Rachael and I took our boyfriends camping this weekend. Whereas our menfolk brought nerf guns and beer, we brought delicious funtime food.

It was my favorite thing to wake up Sunday morning and hear the birds chirping and my friends softly talking as they gathered the ingredients for an incredible homemade breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.

Throughout our adventure, we snacked on these homemade granola bars that I feverishly threw together the night before our trip. I like that they only require five ingredients, and no baking if you don't mind unbaked oats (I baked mine for just a few minutes). 

Putting these together was a sticky, hilarious time. I recommend trying it yourself.

Can't you just taste the nature in them?

Here's the recipe, from minimalistbaker.com. I added dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, and a handful of butterscotch chips. I also used a blender instead of a food processor, and like an IDIOT I forgot to pit my dates and almost broke my boyfriend's teeth. Oops!

Healthy 5-Ingredient Granola Bars

• 1 cup packed dates, pitted (deglet nour or medjool)
• ¼ cup honey (or sub maple syrup or agave for vegan option)
• ¼ cup creamy salted natural peanut butter or almond butter
• 1 cup roasted unsalted almonds, loosely chopped
• 1½ cups rolled oats (gluten free for GF eaters)
• optional additions: chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, banana chips, vanilla, etc.

Instructions

1. Process dates in a food processor until small bits remain (about 1 minute). It should form a “dough” like consistency. (mine rolled into a ball)
2. Optional step: Toast your oats in a 350 degree oven for 15-ish minutes or until slightly golden brown. Otherwise, leave them raw – I just prefer the toasted flavor.
3. Place oats, almonds and dates in a bowl – set aside.
4. Warm honey and peanut butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and pour over oat mixture and then mix, breaking up the dates to disperse throughout.
5. Once thoroughly mixed, transfer to an 8×8 dish or other small pan lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper so they lift out easily. (A loaf pan might work, but will yield thicker bars.)
6. Press down until uniformly flattened. Cover with parchment or plastic wrap, and let set in fridge or freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden.
7. Remove bars from pan and chop into 10 even bars. Store in an airtight container for up to a few days. I kept mine in the freezer to keep them extra fresh, but it isn’t necessary.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 217 Fat: 8 g Saturated fat: 1 g Carbohydrates: 31 g Sugar: 19 g Fiber: 4 g Protein: 6 g