homemade clif bars.

Yesterday I ran for 50 minutes straight. Well, jogged.

I haven't continued that long without stopping for ... a very, very long time. The whole route was about 4.2 miles, according to my Google Maps calculations. So that's not fast or anything, but considering there were slopes, the scent of roasted garlic wafting out of nearby Italian restaurants, and my overall terribly out-of-shapeness, not too bad, I guess.

The run also reminded me of the 5K I promised to do with two of my suitemates this upcoming September. And how I will probably not be able to do it because I am so slow.

LOOK AT ALL THAT HEARTY GOODNESS. 

But that got me thinking of pre and post - workout fuel. That raised my spirits! I immediately thought of energy bars. And that reminded me of the energy bars I saw for sale at the gym where I recently got a membership. And how the bars cost $1.50 - $3. Um ew.


So I searched how to make energy bars at home. The only energy bars I have eaten are Balance, Clif (& Luna, the one for women), and Kashi.

I really enjoy Balance Bars, probably because they're so sweet and have sweet flavors, like chocolate chip cookie dough. Also, Balance Bars were one of the cheapest bars at my university, so I subsisted off them at many times.

I have had Clif bars sporadically, but never really needed the 210 or so calories they are, so I didn't eat them as often. I had a chocolate chip one the other day, and despite the weird aftertaste, I really enjoyed it.*

The search for a homemade clif bar led to this recipe, adapted from a recipe from a blog I just discovered, but really enjoy. This bar is so good. It has sweetness from the molasses, honey, nut butter, and dried fruit, despite there being no added brown or granulated sugar to this recipe. The puffed rice cereal keeps the bars crisp. I don't know what else to say about them; oh yeah, there's no aftertaste! They are just a great, less caloric bar to refer to when hungry or before/after a workout.

*By the way - do you know where the inspiration for Clif Bars originated? A lot of energy bars stemmed from people who were working out intensely and needed a better/more substantial energy bar to keep them fueled. The creator of Clif Bars was on a 175-mile bike ride when he had his "epiphany." ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY MILES. dude. kudos to him and his father, seriously.

Homemade Clif Bars
barely adapted from here.

• 1 1/4 cups puffed rice cereal 
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats, toasted for more flavor 
• 3 Tb ground flaxseed 
• 1/4 cup dried fruit, finely chopped 
• 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts or seeds 
• 1/3 cup mixture of molasses, honey, corn syrup, prune butter, or brown rice syrup (whatever you have on hand) 
• heaping 1/3 cup nut butter (super chunk or creamy) 
• 1 tspn vanilla extract 
• 1/2 - 1 tspn cinnamon

1. Mix the rice cereal, oats, flax, dried fruit, and nuts/seeds together in a large bowl. 
2. Combine molasses, honey (or corn syrup) and but nutter in a saucepan. Heat till everything is liquid. Stir in vanilla. 
3. Pour the viscous mixture in the saucepan over the cereal mixture in the large bowl. 
4. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon. 
5. Spoon mixture into a greased 8" square pan. Pack well enough to make smooth and ensure the bars won't fall apart later. Refrigerate about 35 minutes to an hour. Cut into bars and either store in  a plastic container in the fridge or wrap individual bars in plastic wrap. 
6. Eat, and feel energized and healthy!

There are multiple variations. Visit the site I linked to see the many variations possible. 

Click here for a list of Larabar flavors for inspiration.