Convenient snack bars are all the rage today. These delicious treats are packed full of your favorite ingredients and the nutrition your body needs to stay healthy.
Choosing the right snack bar can be a challenge because there are so many, and you don’t want to get one that ends up tasting like cardboard. You also don’t want one that is full of sugar and empty calories.
But, with our easy, DIY snack bar recipe, you can make your very own versions at home and save all kinds of money.
The Easiest Homemade Healthy Bar
These snack bars are nutritious and easy to make and are made from three simple ingredients. Preparation time is only five minutes, and each bar only has about one hundred calories, making them the perfect treat for those trying to lose weight.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted almonds
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Add almonds, coconut, and salt to a large bowl. Stir the mixture until fully combined, and then pour maple syrup over this mixture. Fold the mixture until well incorporated, and you have a dough-like ball.
3. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking pan. Using a rubber spatula, press down on mixture and smooth into a tightly-packed layer.
4. Bake for 28-38 minutes to make sure that the bars bake thoroughly. If not baked thoroughly, they will not hold together when cooled.
5. Allow to cool for 1 hour in the pan or on a cooling rack. While pinching opposite ends of the parchment paper lining, lift the bars out of the pan. Slowly peel the parchment paper off the bottom of the bars and slice into 12 bars.
Beneficial Ingredients
When it comes to snack bars and your health, less is more. The fewer ingredients, the better the snack items can be for your health. Staying clear of additives and preservatives, and using only natural ingredients, will best support your health. The key ingredients that make up our simple recipe are coconut and almonds. These provide not only delicious flavor, but also important health benefits.
Almonds
Antioxidants: As a great source of natural antioxidants, almonds help reduce markers of oxidative damage, making these nuts one beneficial snack.
Magnesium: The high magnesium content in almonds can help lower blood pressure, promoting heart health. Magnesium deficiency has been linked to high blood pressure, so eating almonds every day can help maintain healthy levels and protect your cardiovascular system.
Blood sugar support: Being low in carbohydrates but high in healthy fats makes almonds perfect for supporting blood sugar levels. The high amount of magnesium in almonds also helps to reduce the risks of dangerous sugar spikes and crashes.
Lower cholesterol: High LDL (bad) cholesterol levels can contribute to poor heart health, but eating almonds each day can help support cholesterol levels. Eating almonds each day not only lowers LDL levels, but also helps you maintain levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, keeping you at a healthy balance.
Vitamin E: As a fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E can help reduce oxidative stress to support heart, circulatory, immune, and skin health as well as promote healthy aging.
Curb cravings: Almonds are notorious for filling you up without weighing you down. The high protein and fiber content of these nuts keeps you feeling full for longer, so you can avoid unhealthy snacking throughout the day.
Coconut
Heart health: Coconut contains heart-healthy agents that protect against high cholesterol levels. By keeping LDL cholesterol levels low and promoting HDL cholesterol, you maintain a healthy balance that keeps your heart happy.
Brain health: The fats in coconut are medium-chain triglycerides, which are metabolized differently from other fats. Because they break down into ketones, they provide efficient fuel for your brain, promoting optimal cognitive functioning and protecting your brain.
Blood sugar support: Coconut contains compounds that help slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream. You can take care of those sweet cravings with a little bit of coconut each day and prevent unwanted blood sugar spikes.
Immune support: The fatty acids in coconut contain powerful antimicrobial agents that give you extra protection against invading bacteria, viruses, and infections.
Burn fat: Coconut oil has the ability to burn calories and shed fat. Coconut also boosts your metabolism, giving you more energy throughout the day and reducing fat storage.
Appetite control: The best part of this snack bar is that both the almonds and coconut help curb your cravings, so you eat less. The fats in coconut oil are metabolized in a way that reduces your appetite, so on average, you will eat less throughout your afternoon with a snack bar like this.
The Bottom Line
These homemade bars are perfect for everyone, whether you're paleo, vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free. Our simple recipe is easy to follow, and you can always switch up the ingredients to include some of your favorite fruits or nuts. The three ingredients offer a host of essential nutrients to support your health with every bite, and your taste buds will be happy too.
