Health

You know how it is when you go to pick up the kids from after school care, they are tired, hungry and the next hour can be a disaster sometimes.

Or you may just want something a bit more healthy to munch on than standard fare. I am convinced that the further we get from a mostly natural, raw food, the worse the diet. I am especially against MSG and artificial sweeteners. They are not known as excitotoxins without reason.

Or, you may want some more roughage in your diet. Be warned though, THIS WILL PRODUCE RESULTS!

Well, I decided to formulate an easy to carry, easy to eat, nutritious food bar that was also good for the granddaughter who has a lactose intolerance.

I did try a variation for a choc-a-holic daughter that included fresh yoghurt, melted white chocolate and Agar-Agar (like gelatin only from vegetable origins) but that was not as well received. She passed it on to her husband who eats and appreciates anything I cook.

After some experimentation I have come across a generally accepted winner. Now, I must confess up-front. I am not a cook and have no background whatsoever in the culinary arts or nutritional science. So if you wish to suggest an improvement that will result in better taste, texture or nutrition, I am all ears.

Here is the recipe. Makes 24 bars.

You will need:

Oven
Baking tray
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Rolling pin
Mixing bowl
Benchtop mixer with heavy duty mixing blade
Plastic wrap
Scissors

Ingredients:

1 cup of Shredded coconut
1 cup of Sultanas or raisins
1 cup of Finely chopped dried apricots
1 cup of Crushed roasted Cashew nuts
1 cup of Crushed Macadamia nuts
1.25 cups of Honey
1.5 cups of Sunflower seeds
2 cups of Sesame seeds
2.5 cups of Dessicated coconut

.5 teaspoon of Nutmeg
2 teaspoons of Cinnamon

Heaped (US table spoon\ Australian dessert spoon) of
2 spoonfuls of South American Maca protein powder
1 spoonfuls of South American unsweetened Cocoa powder

Method:

Turn the oven on to a medium heat.
Cover the bottom of a baking dish with the coconut, sesame and sunflower seeds, evenly spread out.
Place in oven until the smell is unbearable or until the coconut is golden brown, whichever comes first. About 5-10 minutes.
Chop the apricots and place into a decent sized mixing bowl.
(I use a benchtop cake mixer, it's easier and faster to beat in the honey to bind it all at the end. On the other hand, if you want an upper-body work-out...)
Put the cashews into a thicker zip-top plastic bag and take your frustrations out on them with a rolling pin. NOT THAT MUCH! They don't need to be powdered, just in smaller pieces than halved! Sheesh!
Empty the bag into the mixing bowl.
Put the Macadamia nuts into the plastic bag and release the rest of your frustrations on them.
Put them in the mixing bowl.
Take the oven tray out and turn off the oven.
Put the contents into the mixing bowl.
Add the other ingredients (except for a half a cup of coconut to use as covering), honey last.

Place the bowl under the mixer and beat for a minute or so, until it is well mixed or you can’t resist the temptation to try some, whichever comes first.

While it is beating, lay out an arms length strip of plastic wrap on the bench.

When the ingredients are well mixed, take the largest spoon you have and scoop a generous amount of the mix and roll it into a log. Roll the log onto the plate of coconut then place the coconut covered log on the wrap.

Depending on your target market (grandkids have smaller stomaches than daughters, although some fast growing four year olds have been known to come back five minutes later for a second bar) you can either make one long one or two short ones per hand’s width (with fingers spread) of wrap.

Repeat laying out along the length of wrap. You should get about twelve short bars to a length, half the mix.

If you have made short bars, cut along the length of the plastic wrap, between the bars.

Cut across the wrap, between the bars.

Fold the wrap over the ends of the bars, squishing the bar mix shorter as needed.

Fold the wrap over the sides of the bars and place to one side.

Repeat for the other half of the mix.

I am told that honey is the only food that does not spoil but putting them in the refrigerator will make them a bit harder and help them retain some shape.

And there you have it. Either 24 small or a lesser quantity of larger muesli bars that will kill the hungries for the littlies and not so littlies.

Hope you enjoy these and as I said, feel free to drop me a line with any suggested improvements.

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