Store-bought breakfast and granola bars are mostly high in fat, calories, and salt. Making these convenient treats yourself gives you the best of both worlds—the convenience of a meal-in-hand paired with good nutrition.

The following recipes are quick and easy to prepare with ingredients you’re likely to have on hand.

The Apple Cinnamon Bars are made with fresh apples that can be peeled or unpeeled as you prefer. The Peanut Granola Bars are dense and chewy.

LEGEND:
VERY LOW FAT: Recipes with 10 gm of fat or less per serving.	LOW CHOLESTEROL: Recipes with 30 mg of cholesterol or less per serving.		LOW SODIUM: Recipes with 240 mg of sodium or less per serving.

Apple Cinnamon Bars

1 c. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. uncooked oats
1/2 c. shortening
4 medium apples

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, brown sugar, and oats in a mixing bowl. Stir together. Add the shortening to the bowl. Use two table knives to mix the ingredients and cut them into crumbs.

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Spread half of the crumb mixture in the greased baking dish.

Remove the cores from the apples and slice them. Put the apple slices into the baking dish. Top the apples with the remainder of the crumb mixture. Bake for 45 minutes. Cut into squares. Makes 24 servings.

Per Serving
Calories	100
Fat	4.5 gm
Calories from fat	40%
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	55 mg
Carbohydrates	14 gm

Peanut Granola Bars

1/2 c. grated carrots
1 c. honey
1 c. peanut butter
3 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. coconut

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and grate the carrots.

Put the honey and peanut butter in a large saucepan. Cook on low heat until they melt. Remove the pan from the heat. Turn off the burner.

Add oatmeal, raisins, carrots, and coconut to the saucepan. Stir well and let it cool until you can safely touch it with your hand. Put the mixture in the baking pan and press the mix firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool, then cut into 24 bars.

Per Serving
Calories	160
Fat	6 gm
Calories from fat	34%
Cholesterol	0 mg
Sodium	5 mg
Carbohydrates	25 gm

Recipes from NHLBI: Keep the Beat: Heart Healthy Recipes and King Country, WA, Public Health

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader's own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.