We Made Jennifer Garner's Healthy Granola Bar Recipe (2024)

FAQs

We Made Jennifer Garner's Healthy Granola Bar Recipe? ›

Granola bars are often highly processed and contain added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and sugar alcohols, which can negatively impact health.

Granola bars are often highly processed and contain added sugar, artificial sweeteners, and sugar alcohols, which can negatively impact health.

While store-bought granola bars can be unhealthy and full of added sugars, these homemade granola bars are healthy in moderation. They're a delicious and nutritious snack option compared to those that come in a package.

Fill the bowl up with water to completely cover the mixture – enough that you can stir to combine. This soaking process will help the oats and seeds digest better. After the oat/seed mixture has soaked 8-12 hours, add the rest of the ingredients and combine.

Honey – Along with the nut butter, it helps all these ingredients stick together! I love its warm amber flavor in this recipe. Vanilla extract – It amps up the bars' warm flavor.

Yes, it is possible to eat too much granola. While granola can be a healthy and nutritious food, it is often high in calories and sugar, especially if it contains added sweeteners or dried fruit. Eating too much granola on a regular basis can contribute to weight gain and other health problems.

Look for whole grains. Some granola bars don't include any grains, but for those that do, look for 100% whole grains, such as oats, brown rice, quinoa and sorghum. Skip bars made with refined grains, like puffed rice (unless brown) or enriched wheat (which is another way of saying white flour).

Not only can you pick the flavors and ingredients you want, but you don't have to worry about preservatives or other odd additions to your snack food. MAKE OR BUY? Homemade granola bars aren't hard to make once you have all the right ingredients and they'll certainly save you money in the long term.

But the best bet is to choose a granola with minimally processed sweeteners such as maple syrup, honey and agave. Dried fruit will also add fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Granolas fortified with extras like flaxseed and chia seeds are fabulous for a post-workout snack or for a dose of Omega-3 fats.

What happens if you don't soak oats? ›

Improved Digestibility:Soaking oats helps break down phytic acid, an antinutrient found in oats. Phytic acid can bind to minerals, making them less absorbable. Soaking helps neutralize phytic acid, enhancing mineral absorption and improving overall digestibility.

Soaking oats overnight makes delicious, easier-to-digest recipes packed with nutrients and so fresh to eat in the morning. While I usually use almond milk or coconut milk for overnight oats, I recently tried using water! It's a great way to save on expensive plant-based milk and serve a healthy breakfast.

Soaking oats overnight in milk renders them ready to eat the next morning, however, it is unknown whether oats prepared this way will retain its relatively low glycaemic and insulinaemic impact.

Chia seeds are often praised for their binding powers. In fact, they secure ingredients so well that they can even be used as an egg replacer. Adding just a spoonful of chia seeds to your favorite granola bar recipe will make a huge difference in its texture.

Ground Flaxseed. Adds protein and, when combined with the wet ingredients, becomes a glue-like binding agent that helps hold the bars together. Wheat Germ. A superfood boost that adds folate, fiber, vitamin E, and other key nutrients to these no bake granola bars (as well as this Healthy Granola).

If your granola bars are falling apart or seem too crumbly, here are a few tips. Make sure you use honey or another sticky sweetener such as maple syrup in the liquid part of the recipe; this recipe calls for honey. This will help bind together the ingredients and keep that signature bar shape.

Consuming one or two bars per day as a snack is generally acceptable, but should be balanced with other nutritional needs and the overall diet. Individuals should be cautious of their total daily intake of calories, sugar, fat, fiber, and sodium to maintain a balanced diet.

Often touted for their whole grain goodness, most granola bars are sticky-sweet junk food in disguise. Don't let a few oats fool you — especially when you also see marshmallows and chocolate chips. Instead: If granola bars are a must-have, choose one with 6 grams of sugar or less per bar, and hopefully some fibre.

Aside from being good for one's weight, granola bars are low in sodium as well, which reduces the appetite and keeps you feeling full for a longer amount of time, thus reducing your food intake. Sodium and cholesterol are both major contributing factors to obesity, both of which granola bars fight.

In simpler terms, oat-filled granola bars are great for digestion. Healthy granola bars are also full of several other helpful ingredients: nuts, which reduce inflammation; chia seeds, which reduce hypertension; and fruits, which contain a variety of antioxidant compounds.