Power bars with no gluten or refined sugar that taste fantastic…Yes, please!

In September I started a 21 day sugar cleanse to see if sugar might have something to do with my sluggishness, headaches and aches and pains.  After 21 days I felt great and decided to keep a refined sugar free lifestyle.  I have also eliminated almost all gluten from our kitchen. Of course I’ve cheated a few times with sugary indulgences but every time it ended in painful regret. The kids are not on board completely but they are looking for ways to be healthier eaters.  Especially the boys in high school who want to look good for the girls and struggle with keeping their faces acne free.  They’ll LOVE that I mentioned that here!  Sorry boys.

Recently, on a movie set where I was set styling and filling in as grip the hours were long and the food table was filled with every kind of savory and sweet bread option and little else.  My friend Susan McConnell of Susan McConnell Photography, who was also working on set, offered me one of these wonderful treats.  Gluten and sugar free and fantastic!  One bar kept me going all morning.  Susan’s husband is an endurance athlete who recently swam the English Channel.  She made these to fuel his intense workouts.

Try them with greek  yogurt.

In our attempt to find healthy alternatives we have been making our own granola.  Someone keeps emptying the jar?? Any thing goes in granola.  Try it with fresh fruit and torn basil or mint.

Power Bars

1 tbs coconut oil

3 tbs finely chopped crystalized ginger (I used fresh ginger to avoid the sugar)

1-1/4 cups gluten free rolled oats

1-1/4 cups chopped toasted almonds

½ cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

1 cup brown rice syrup

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup oat bran

1-1/2 cups unsweetened crisp brown rice cereal

½ cups dried appricots and ½ cups dried cherries coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

Line baking pan with parchment paper.  Grease the baking pan with the coconut oil.  If you like thick power bars, opt for an 8×8 pan.  For thinner bars, use a 9×13 inch pan.

In a bowl, mix the oats, walnuts, oat bran, cereal, cranberries, other fruit and ginger.  Set this aside …

Combine the rice syrup, vanilla and salt in a small sauce pan over medium heat and stir constantly as it comes to a boil, let it thicken a bit.  This should take about 4 minutes.

Pour over the oat mixture and stir until the syrup is evenly incorporated.Spread onto the prepared pan and dust with some additional oat bran.  Allow to cool to room temp before cutting into whatever size bars you desire.Spread onto the

prepared pan and dust with some additional oat bran.  Allow to cool to room temp before cutting into whatever size bars you desire.

We’re all ready for spring.  Fresh ingredients make it taste like spring even if the snow is still lingering.

Thanks to our friends the Stagnito Family we have a huge box of fresh oranges, grapefruit and tangerines.  Don’t you love when friends send you a piece of their sunny vacation!

More spring time soon!

Enjoy

Sally