Ingredients
2 cups organic gluten-free oatmeal (don’t use quick oats)
½ cup organic sprouted almonds, chopped
½ cup organic sprouted sunflower seeds
⅓ cup flaxseed/chia seed mixture*
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup dates, pitted (make sure to pack the dates into the measuring cup)
¼ cup organic pure maple syrup
½ cup nut-butter, such as almond, sunflower, or a mixture of both
Dark chocolate chips, cranberries, raisins (optional)
Instructions
In a large bowl, mix together, oatmeal, almonds, sunflower seeds, flaxseed/chia mixture, salt and cinnamon.
In a food processor, process the dates until a smooth ball forms.
Mix into processor with the dates, the syrup and nut butter. Process until combined.
Stir the date mixture into the oatmeal mixture. The mixture will be very sticky. It’s best to use your hands to combine the mixtures together.
If adding chips or dried fruit, stir into mixture.
Tightly press the mixture into a 8” square pan (the mixture will be sticky).
Bake bars at 300F for 15 minutes or until desired crunch. Due to the sugars in the maple syrup and dates, the bars can burn easily, so be careful not to overcook.
Cool. Cut into squares.
Option: If you want a chewy granola bar, toast the oats and nuts in the oven at 300F until lightly brown. Then eliminate Step 7.
* Flaxseed/Chia Mixture
In a glass jar (empty nut-butter jars are a good option), fill 3/4 of jar with ground flaxseed and /4 of the jar with ground chia. Shake to combine. Store in refrigerator. Store remaining seeds in the refrigerator or make more jars.
Note: You can replace sprouted nuts and seeds with non-sprouted almonds and sunflower seeds.
Healthy Facts About Ingredients
Almonds are rich in fiber, unsaturated fats (the healthy fat), and provide a good source of vitamin E, magnesium, copper and fiber.
Oats are known for their high fiber content. The fiber and the unique antioxidant compounds in oats are great for the digestive systems, stabilizing the blood sugar, and for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Oats are an excellent source of manganese and molybdenum, and a good source of phosphorus, copper, biotin, vitamin B1, magnesium, chromium, and zinc.
Dates are a good source of natural sugar for energy. Dates are packed with fiber, as well as various vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, magnesium and zinc.