Cinnamon Nut Bars

Snow Jam 2014 did not affect us the same way it did Atlanta, but we did get about 2 inches of snow that was perfect for playing! It was Hazel's first snow, and she loved it!  So before I get to my newest yummy treat, here are some of my favorite pictures from the Athens, GA version of Snow Jam. 

To say that Hazel loved the snow would be an understatement! At first it was too cold for her to play, but once she warmed up, there was no stopping the fun!  I've been enjoying a couple snow days at home, which has given me the perfect opportunity to try something new! I have spent lots of time on the meal replacement bar isle in the grocery store.  To be honest, no bar is perfect.  They either have too much fat, calories, or sugar.  While many of them claim to be all protein, they have a lot of other things hidden in them.  

My favorite kind of meal replacement/snack bars are nut bars.  To make some of my own, I pulled together every type of nut and seed in my house, tossed them in a bag with some cinnamon and Splenda, and magic happened!  My snack bars turned out so good, David requested I never buy bars from the store again!  These are so easy to make and you can mix up the flavors with new ingredients every time you make them!  Below, I give my recipe and list some alternative ingredients in case you flavor palette is different from mine.

Cinnamon Nut Bars

1 cup crushed roasted almonds, no salt

1 cup roasted peanuts, no salt

1/4 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup flax seeds

1/4 cup rolled oats, plain

1/2 cup pecans

2 tbsp cinnamon

2 tbsp Splenda (or your favorite sweetener)

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup honey

Dash of vanilla

Optional:

Dried fruit

Chocolate pieces

Sunflower seeds

Walnuts

Macadamia Nuts

Flaked coconut

Preheat your oven to 350.  Mix all the dry ingredients together, then add honey and vanilla.  Mix well with a rubber spatula to ensure the honey and vanilla coat all the ingredients. Once combined, pour the mixture out on parchment paper and firmly press it down to form a large rectangle, about 1/2 inch thick.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Once it has finished baking, take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes. The large bar may seem a little soft when it first comes out, but allowing it to cool will make it firm.  Once it has cooled, cut the large bar down the center through the length of the bar. Then, cut each section at 1.5 inch intervals to form individual bars. Each bar should be about 5 x 1.5 inches. Enjoy!