31 Days off Your Duff {Day 15} - Make Your Own Energy Bar

Sorry, super-quick, pictureless post, as I'm still sick!

Throwing Together a Bar

This summer, a few of us went out hiking for a week. Instead of loading up on nutritious (yet sugar-laden) energy bars, we decided to make our own beforehand! This way we could control exactly what we were eating, and we could cut down on the waste that we would be toting around on our backs.

I apologize, but at the time I made these, I was not thinking I may one day put them on a blog. Thus, I sadly have no pictures, and nowhere near an exact recipe... but that's the beauty of DIY! You don't have to follow somebody else's instructions exactly, you just make your own.

But here, let me try to recall enough to give you some examples:

My Energy Bar

Bleh, I hate nuts. Gross, gross, gross. So naturally, I didn't put any in bars, hooray! Otherwise I would have had horrific stomach aches, and nasty tastes left on my tongue.

- Oats

The oats were the base of the whole thing, as with most bars.

- Pumpkin Seeds
- Chia Seeds
- Flax Seeds
- Sesame Seeds

Basically, any seeds I could get my hands on. They are so good for you.

- Various Dried Fruits

Again, we made our own dried fruit. No preservatives or added sugars, hooray!

- Raw Honey
- Melted Marshmallows

These made the stickiness that held everything together.

Okay, okay.... I know. Marshmallows don't really stick with my whole "Natural Energy Bar" theme here... but I got really excited part way through when I realized this was kind of like making Rice Krispie Treats... and I just couldn't help myself! But let me tell you; these were the healthiest Rice Krispies ever made!

My Boyfriend's Energy Bar

His I remember even less of, but let me make an attempt here, just to give you an ever-so-slightly different idea.

- Oats
- Various Dried Fruits
- Various disgusting Nuts
- Various Seeds
- Raw Honey
- Organic Molasses

Making Them Look... Pretty?

Once we were done mixing up our ingredients, we put them in between some foil sheets, and just smooshed everything down until it was flat.

We thought about cutting them into individual bar shapes, but just didn't get around to it in time. That's a definite possibility though!

Now, don't think these are just for hiking! You could easily make a batch of these, cut them into servings, and eat one every day. I'm sure they would freeze just fine too, if you made a huge amount (haven't tried it myself though).

So, get off your duff, and make some energy bars that will ensure you stay off your duff!