BREAKFAST BARS ?

<RJ> wrote on 13 Apr 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

I'm tired of cereal, toast, eggs, etc. for breakfast.

These "breakfast bars" look interesting....
and they might be good on road-trips too.

And so I checked out the local grocery store.
Most of the "breakfast pastrys", bars, etc
look like they'd do better in a candy store.
I suspect the first ingredient is SUGAR !

I guess there's still Granola bars.....

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar
thats not barely disguised candy ??

<rj>

Have you considered regular Muffins? or Orzo chicken muffins?...made by
putting a mix of cooked orzo , cheese and chicken plus spices of choice
in a papered muffin tin, left to set in the fridge over night. (kinda
like macaroni and cheese with chicken but highly portable.)

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic Since Aug 2004
1AC- 7.2, 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Weight from 265 down to 219 lbs. and dropping.
Continuing to be Manitoban

RJ said:

I'm tired of cereal, toast, eggs, etc. for breakfast.

These "breakfast bars" look interesting.... and they might be good on
road-trips too.

And so I checked out the local grocery store. Most of the "breakfast
pastrys", bars, etc look like they'd do better in a candy store. I
suspect the first ingredient is SUGAR !

I guess there's still Granola bars.....

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar thats not barely disguised candy
??

The measurements are not critical. I don't think I've made these the
same way twice. If you like raisins, add raisins. If you don't like
coconut, leave it out. Maybe leave out all the fruit and nuts, and add
peanut butter and chocolate chips. Use your imagination:

Bob's Granola Bars

1/4 cup margarine (canola or peanut oil might work)
1/2 pound marshmallows (about 30 large)
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole almond kernals
3/4 cup (?) grated coconut [estimated amount]
generous 1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries, a.k.a. "craisins"
generous 1/2 cup diced dried turkish apricots
scant 1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup roasted and salted sunflower kernals
2 cups puffed rice breakfast cereal (like Rice Krispies®)

Toast oats and almonds in a 375 degree oven. It works best if they are
in seperate baking dishes, otherwise the oats tend to insulate and
protect the almonds from the heat.

Meanwhile, in a huge heatproof bowl, melt margarine and marshmallows in
the microwave. Stir with a big spoon to combine. Stir in the coconut,
dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and wheat germ. Next add the hot oats and
almonds. Lastly, stir in the rice cereal. It will be very sticky and
hard to mix. Spray a 9x13 glass baking pan with your favorite non-stick
spray. Transfer the sticky glop into the pan and press it down as
tightly as you can -- covering it with waxed paper while you press it
helps. Allow to sit for a half hour or so, and cut into squares when
they are no longer sticky.

Best regards,
Bob

RJ said:

I'm tired of cereal, toast, eggs, etc. for breakfast.

These "breakfast bars" look interesting....
and they might be good on road-trips too.

And so I checked out the local grocery store.
Most of the "breakfast pastrys", bars, etc
look like they'd do better in a candy store.
I suspect the first ingredient is SUGAR !

I guess there's still Granola bars.....

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar
thats not barely disguised candy ??

<rj>

I guess I happen to be one of the few people who like bran muffins. This
recipe is from the box of Hodgson's Mill Whole Wheat Bran. You can mix up a
batch (add dried cranberries, blueberries, raisins, whateverwhe ready to
bake) and store it in the fridge covered and bake up as many or as little as
you want.

2 c. Hodgson's Mill unprocessed wheat bran
1 c. brown sugar
2-1/2 c. white flour
2-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 pint buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. boiling water

Combine 1 cup wheat bran with 1 c. boiling water; stir and let steep. In a
separate bowl cream butter and brown sugar. Combine flour, salt, baking soda
in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 1 cup of the steeped bran with the
remaining 2 cups of bran, eggs and buttermilk mixture until well mixed.

Store tightly covered in the refrigerator until ready to use. Stir well
before ready to bake. Spoon into lightly greased muffin tins. Bake at 400F
for 20 minutes.

Jill

In article <[email hidden]>,

RJ said:

I'm tired of cereal, toast, eggs, etc. for breakfast.

These "breakfast bars" look interesting....
and they might be good on road-trips too.

And so I checked out the local grocery store.
Most of the "breakfast pastrys", bars, etc
look like they'd do better in a candy store.
I suspect the first ingredient is SUGAR !

I guess there's still Granola bars.....

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar
thats not barely disguised candy ??

<rj>

Here's a recipe for one. From the latest Eating Well magazine
Apricot-Walnut Cereal Bars
April/May 2005
Prep time: 30 minutes | Start to finish: 2 hours (including cooling
time)
To make ahead: Individually wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature
for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Thaw at room temperature or remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and
defrost according to your microwave's directions.

Crisp and chewy, this bar is a good-for-you alternative to store-bought
cereal bars. The secret ingredient, silken tofu, will give your day a
protein-packed start. The recipe also works with other fruit-and-nut
combinations.

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (about 2 ounces)
3 cups unsweetened puffed-grain cereal, such as Kashi
2 cups chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 ounces silken tofu, drained (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 large egg
1 2 cup canola oil
1 cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 375?F. Coat a large (15 1/4-by-10 1/4-inch)
jellyroll-style pan with cooking spray.

2. Spread oats and walnuts on a baking sheet with sides. Bake until
fragrant and light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and
add puffed cereal, dried apricots, flour and salt; stir to combine.

3. Meanwhile, puree tofu, egg, oil, honey, vanilla and lemon zest in a
food processor or blender until smooth, scraping down the sides as
needed. Make a well in the center of the oat mixture; fold in the tofu
mixture until combined. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

4. Bake until firm in the center and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.
Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before cutting into bars
with a sharp knife.

Makes 16 servings.
Per serving: 306 calories; 12 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 13 mg
cholesterol; 46 g carbohydrate; 6 g protein; 4 g fiber; 87 mg sodium.

Nutrition bonus: Fiber (14% daily value).

On Wed, 13 Apr 2005 19:23:46 -0700, "<RJ>" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I'm tired of cereal, toast, eggs, etc. for breakfast.

These "breakfast bars" look interesting....
and they might be good on road-trips too.

And so I checked out the local grocery store.
Most of the "breakfast pastrys", bars, etc
look like they'd do better in a candy store.
I suspect the first ingredient is SUGAR !

I guess there's still Granola bars.....

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar
thats not barely disguised candy ??

If you just want a change in breakfast, there's always croissants,
scones, muffins, yogurt with granola and fruit, etc. , make-your-own
savory bars, or leftover pizza. Breakfast bars in grocery stores are
going to be sweet.

But I interpret your request to mean that you are also interested in
something in unit wrapping to take on trips.

If you don't like the sweet ones, try the "power bars" or "protein
bars." They are fairly non-sweet and must be popular as they are
still around despite tasting like cardboard. If you're really
anti-sugar, try the low-carb ones. I tried one once and can vouch for
the lack of sweetness (or anything that would entice me to try
another). There seems to be a trade-off between delicious bars and
healthy bars.

You might also want to check a health food store; I'm guessing they
would haver low-sugar breakfast bars if anyplace would.

When I go on a trip and want to bring along some bars, I just pick
whichever one sounds appealing from the grocery store shelf and figure
that I have a relatively healthy candy bar to eat in case I ever find
myself more than six feet away from food, which is pretty unlikely in
the U.S. . :>

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

I just made those. They're pretty OK. I didn't have enough nuts, and
I don't
think the recipe includes enough nuts anyway, so I'd probably
up that.

Greg Zywicki

RJ said:

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar
thats not barely disguised candy ??

<rj>

My favourite are Fuel bars. They're made primarily with seeds--sesame,
pumpkin, flax, etc. so they have a relatively high fat content, but hey,
it's good fat :-). Some people find them too sweet, but with a bottle of
water nearby, they're fine. I thought the apple cinnamon is my least
favourite, and the chocolate crunch reminds me of an Eatmore Bar. Yum!

www.fuelbars.com is their website--I have no affiliation with the company
whatsoever, but I have been a happy consumer of their products. You can buy
directly from the company (on-line), but if you're in Canada (Manitoba,
anyway) they're available at Vita-Health stores. Or at least they were a
couple of years ago.

rona

--
***For e-mail, replace .com with .ca Sorry for the inconvenience!***

"[America] is filled with people who decided not to live in Europe. We
had people who really wanted to live in Europe, but didn't have the
energy to go back. We call them Canadians." ---Grover Norquist in
Newsweek, November 22, 2004

RJ said:

I'm tired of cereal, toast, eggs, etc. for breakfast.

These "breakfast bars" look interesting....
and they might be good on road-trips too.

And so I checked out the local grocery store.
Most of the "breakfast pastrys", bars, etc
look like they'd do better in a candy store.
I suspect the first ingredient is SUGAR !

I guess there's still Granola bars.....

Can anyone suggest a breakfast bar
thats not barely disguised candy ??

<rj>

The Quaker Oatmal Squares are good but a tad sweet. They are excellent
for hiking. I used them a lot when we first brought DS home because I
didn't have time to cook anything. Some varieties are better than
others - personal preference and all that jazz...I have tried other
brands and they all pretty much sucked.

One thing I do is buy cheap oatmeal cookies for the same purpose - the
inexpensive ones don't have as much sugar and aren't as sweet.

-L.