Trail Mix Cereal Breakfast Bars

Whenever I buy cereal I always look out for two things- that there’s no added sugar and no corn (unless organic). When I have those two things in mind, it pretty much eliminates all cereal options. But I am left with a couple of good finds! I usually only buy cereal to put on top of my smoothie or to bake my Protein Bars but I have to admit I do love that good crunch you get from cereal. 

The cereals I usually buy are all puffed grains such as brown rice, millet, kamut, etc. Puffed grains are not as nutritious as cooked grains but they are low in calorie so it won’t hurt your diet too much. Having cereal in moderation is totally okay! And it goes a long way when I need crunch on top of my smoothie but don’t want to add a ton of nuts to it. 

Recently, shredded wheat caught my eye and I’m not sure why I never picked it up before! I have no allergies or intolerance to gluten so I was totally game to try using it in my next recipe! It would offer that exact crunch I was looking for. I found Barbara’s Shredded Wheat Cereal which contains only 100% Whole Wheat and that’s the only ingredient! And to my surprise, it has 4 grams of protein per serving! I’ll take it! 

I have found that some of the recipes that get the most “hits” are the portable breakfast foods. Everyone is always in a rush in the morning and looking for something to grab on the go. And, portable breakfast food always doubles as a great snack idea! Two for the price of one, so no one wonder everyone likes breakfast bars.

Recipe:

• 1/2 cup almond flour (you can do this yourself by grinding almonds really finely into a flour)
• 1/4 cup maca powder*
• 1 cup grated apples (around 2 medium sized apples)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (you can use any nuts you like here)
• 1/2 cup walnuts roughly chopped ( you can use any nuts you like here)
• 1/2 cup raisins 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup nut milk
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup almond butter 
• 4 shredded wheat biscuits 

Directions: preheat oven to 350

1. In a large mixing bowl combine almond flour, Maca powder, apples, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, baking powder and  cinnamon
2. Combine your wet ingredients in a small bowl- nut milk, coconut oil and almond butter 
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients in your large mixing bowl till evenly combines
4. Crumble up your shredded wheat and fold it in
5. Spread mixture evenly in a pan either 8×10 or 9×9. Lined with parchment paper and non stick spray
6. Cook for around 30-35 minutes at 350 
7. Let cool for at least 60 minutes then cut into bars, they are very delicate so I like to cut them freeze them on a tray then store them in a ziplock to eat throughout the week,

*I used maca powder here because it gives it a nutty flavor and great pre-workout snack providing you with a lot of energy. You can omit the maca and use almond flour in its place or- ground flaxseeds or protein powder.