Chocolate Oatmeal Granola Bars

I’m not sure what I’m going to do with Luke when he’s a teenager.  There are times when I swear he can eat more than me, and he’s barely three years old.  I don’t promote snacking on demand, but this kid definitely needs snacks in between his meals.

Both Luke and Meghan’s favorite snacks, hands down, are bars.  Larabars, granola bars, energy bars, whatever kind of bar it is, they usually love it.  Both of them also have a crazy obsession with chocolate.  I created these granola bars with those two things in mind.

Actually, there was one more thing on my mind when I created these granola bars:  nutrition. I wanted to pack as much nutrition in the bar as I could.  Even when you buy healthier, organic granola bars from the grocery store, they aren’t pack with much nutrition.  The only ingredient with much nutrition in these Cascadian Farm Organic Chocolate Chip Granola Bar is rolled oats.

I’m not saying I never buy those kinds of bars.  I do.  But as much as possible, I try to make healthy, homemade granola bars like these that pack in some real nutrients.  Snacks shouldn’t be empty calories that just fill our bellies.  We can feed our kids snacks that actually help their growth and development, too.

Even the sweetener in these (maple syrup) packs in some nutrition.  Let’s take a quick look at the ingredients and what they offer:

Rolled oats:

Help lower cholesterol, good source of fiber, zinc (for strong immune system), copper (for antioxidant protection and energy), magnesium (for strong bones and energy) and manganese (good for bones, skin, protection against free radicals, and helps control blood sugar).

Almonds:

High in vitamin E (for a strong immune system and to neutralize free radicals), biotin (helps control blood sugar), vitamin B2 (for antioxidant protection and energy), and phosphorus (for bone support and promotes healthy cell function).

Cashews:

High in copper, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc (for a strong immune system and hair, skin, and nails).

Sunflower Seeds:

Great source of vitamin E, selenium (for a strong immune system and offers cancer protection), and magnesium.

Pepitas:

Good source of iron, zinc, and full of antioxidants (for disease prevention).

Dates:

Good source of iron (for healthy cell function and energy), calcium (for strong bones and teeth, muscle function, and brain messages), and even have a small amount of vitamin C (for the growth and repair of tissues and immune support).

Maple Syrup:

Provides calcium, iron, zinc, and manganese.

Cocoa Powder:

Has antioxidants (for disease prevention), iron, potassium (for proper functioning brain, heart, and nerves), zinc, and calcium.

Coconut Oil:

Provides fat (essential for brain development).

Pumpkin:

Good source of vitamin E, Vitamin B6 (necessary for key metabolic processes), folate (for production of red blood cells), Vitamin A (for bone growth and immune health), and Vitamin C.

Will you look at that! Every single ingredient in these healthy homemade granola bars offers a nutrient our bodies (and especially our kids’ growing bodies!) need.  Every. Single. Ingredient. That is the kind of snack I want my kids grabbing when they are hungry.

While they have a few more ingredients (for a better variety of nutrients!) than some of my other granola bars (like these super popular 4-Ingredient Granola Bars), this is still an easy snack recipe.  I use my food processor (<—that is an affiliate link. You will support my bloggity blog if you purchase a food processor through this link. Bonus! They are on sale right now!) to easily chop up all the ingredients. Then you press it into the pan and bake them for 20 minutes.  Really easy!

I hope you give these nutrient-dense granola bars a try!

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