Snaaaaack baaaaars

As a dietitian I’ve noticed that people can fall squarely into one of two camps: snackers, or not snackers. I tend to not be a snacker- that’s not necessarily a good thing though, because I can have a tendency to go too long in between meals and get overly hungry. For me, overly hungry can lead to overeating. A planned snack can be super appropriate when done right. I counsel my patients to eat something every 4-5 hours. Low blood sugars and the resulting I’m-so-hungry-I-could-eat-a-horse-so-just-give-me-anything isn’t good, but neither is mindless grazing.

Bars are one of the most popular go-to snacks, and I totally get it- portable, shelf-stable- perfect to keep stashed at work, in your purse, in your car, whatever. What I *don’t* love about bars is that they can be so full of added sugars. The ones that are nutritionally balanced (KIND are one of my fave brands) are a more expensive price point.

I’ve been playing around for awhile with making homemade bars. Most recipes you’ll find online call for gobs of honey or agave. I opted to use dates instead- not lower in calories, but the sugars naturally found in dates are a bit more slowly released into your blood stream than some other types of sugars (lower glycemic index, if you’re familiar with that). One pan comes together pretty quickly and all you need is a food processor for the prep- no baking needed!

Oat & Nut Bars- makes 16 servings

-2.5 cups dry oats (does not matter which kind)

-1 cup unsalted mixed nuts, chopped

-1/2 cup chocolate chips (could omit)

-12 Medjool dates, pitted, and soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

OK so for starters, why are we soaking the dates? Mine were fresh, rather than completely dried, but I still wanted to plump them up so that they puree up better.

While dates soak, combine oats, nuts, and chocolate chips in a LARGE mixing bowl.

In a food processor combine half of the dates with 2 or 3 tablespoons of the water it was soaking in. Add to oats. Repeat with remaining dates.

Stir together well, evenly coating the oats with the date puree.

Press mixture into an 8x8 square pan. Press down HARD- you want these to be nice and dense when you cut them rather than crumbly. Let refrigerate for at least an hour- ideally overnight. I make a batch of these on the weekend and divvy them up between my husband and I throughout the week. Per bar: 174 calories, 28g carbs, 6 g fat, 4 g protein, 4 g fiber.

Yes a serving may seem small when you’re cutting these, but they are so nice and dense and chewy with a little bit of crunch from the nuts. They’re an awesome portable snack made in your own kitchen!