Dark Chocolate Almond Granola Bars

I finally bought unsweetened baking chocolate so I could make completely sugar-free granola bars! Here you go! :)

What you'll need:

-1/4 cup coconut oil

-1/4 cup honey

-1 tbsp. xylitol (optional)

-1 tbsp. light agave nectar

-2 oz. unsweetened baker's chocolate or dark chocolate of your choice

-1/4 cup unsweetened toasted shredded coconut 

-1/4 cup oat bran

-2 cups oats (I use old fashioned oats)

-1 tbsp. flaxseed

-1/3 cup sliced almonds

Yields ~12-14 bars

Combine 1/4 cup of coconut oil, 1/4 cup of honey and 1 tablespoon of xylitol and agave in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Heat until the sauce is bubbling.

Remove the pot from the heat. Add the chocolate.

Stir until smooth, like this.

In a large or medium sized bowl, combine your dry ingredients (oats, flaxseed, oat bran, almonds, coconut). Toss until evenly mixed.

Add the chocolate sauce to the dry mixture and mix until the oats etc. are evenly coated.

In a wax paper lined 8 x 8 pan, pour the mixture in it and press with a spatula until packed as firmly as you possibly can pack it. 

Fold the sides of the wax paper over the granola and press firmly until the surface of the granola is even. Put in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. I recommend over night refrigeration.

Remove from the pan and wax paper and cut into bars on a cutting board. Cut to your preferred size.

Enjoy! :)

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins: Healthy Alternative Edition

I made a similar version of this recipe about a month ago and I just couldn't get over how good they were being sugar free and somewhat healthy! I decided to go all the way and put all the healthiness I could think of in them. So, here you go!

What you'll need:

-3 to 4 medium ripe bananas (if you have 3 super ripe ones, they'll be as good as 4 plain ripe ones)
-1/4 cup Truvia
-1 tbsp. agave nectar
-1 egg
-1/4 cup coconut oil
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1 cup whole wheat flour
-1/2 cup wheat bran
-1 tbsp. flax-seed (optional)
-1/3 to 1/2 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I use mini sized ones in muffins)

Yields ~12 large muffins (you could do mini muffins as well :) )

Preheat your oven to 375.

 In a stand up mixer, mix the bananas until they consistency doesn't change anymore.

Cream the 1/4 cup of Truvia, egg, 1 tablespoon of agave, and 1/4 cup of coconut oil until consistent. (I know, I know, coconut oil does weird things.)

 Next, add the 1 teaspoons of baking soda and powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix. Then add the 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup of wheat bran and 1 tablespoon of flax-seed and mix until consistent.

The batter should look like this.

Add the chocolate chips and your batter is complete!

 Fill up each muffin mold with about 2/3 of batter or less. Put them in the oven for about 18 minutes or until brown on the edges on top.

Let them cool on a wire rack until they are just warm and enjoy this healthy delight!

P.S. These are the products I used in creating these delicious muffins!

Homemade Chocolate Energy Granola Bars

I've been on a granola bar making spree! This is my third batch and I thought to include it on my new blog, so here it goes!

What you'll need:

-1/8 cup coconut oil
-1/4 cup honey
-1/4 cup xylitol
-1 tbsp. agave nectar
-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-2 bars (2 oz.) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (depending on how sweet you want it)
-2 cups oatmeal (I used old-fashioned)
-1 tbsp. flax-seed
-1/4 cup toasted unsweetened coconut

Yields ~14 bars (depending on how you cut them)

 Combine the 2 cups of oatmeal, 1 tablespoon of flax-seed and 1/4 cup of toasted coconut in a large bowl and set aside. 

 Here's a picture of all the items I used in the wet mixture.

 In a medium sized sauce pan, put the 1/8 cup of coconut oil, 1/4 cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of agave nectar and 1/4 cup of xylitol in the pan on medium low (between low and medium).

 Stir until the mixture looks like this. As soon as it starts to bubble, remove from heat. Then add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.

 Wait about a minute until the mixture cools down a little bit. Add the chocolate and stir until the mixture is smooth and consistent.

 It should look about like this.

Then pour the chocolate sauce into the oatmeal mixture and stir/kneed until the oatmeal is evenly coated.

 Pour the granola into a brownie dish (I used 8x8) lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Then press the granola down as firmly as you can. Then fold the wax paper onto the granola and press in with your hands as firmly as you can. 

Put the granola bars in the fridge for about 3 hours or until evenly cold. Overnight is preferred.

I try to keep them cold so that they don't fall apart, but they are super delicious and chocolatey! I hope you enjoy them! :)

Back at it!

Hello!

I decided to make a new blog inspired by my new-found healthy attitude. Everything I post will be relatively sugar-free, but certainly sweet! I will be using all different types of natural sugar alternatives in my recipes. Many of them you can find in your local health food store or even your local grocery store. Most of my recipes will be adapted versions of classics but I will be posting some originals as well. I hope to hear your suggestions and your own adaptations to recipes and I'll include them on my blog.

Thanks,

Lauren Y.