I’m constantly trying to find more nut-free snacks for Tommy to bring to school and for me to bring to work.  It’s been a challenge since he loves eating the same things over and over and is currently not very open to new things.  His current obsession is Chocti made by 4th & Heart which actually makes me pretty happy considering it’s basically 3 healthy ingredients (one of which is the fat discussed below). However, I needed more nut-free options for school snacks and ideas to carry me through the work day.

Then I came up with these No Bake, Sweet & Salty Granola Bars with Ghee. They’re put in the freezer after making and kept there to store which works out pretty well since I know they’ll stay fresh and won’t be in my reach all day.

Let’s look at some of these kick-butt ingredients, shall we?

Ghee- the healthy fat you’re not eating

Ghee is clarified butter. Made from cow’s milk but basically free of both casein and lactose making it easy to digest while containing nutrients like conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) healthy fatty acids that support the immune system and help burn visceral fat. Be sure to consume grass-fed ghee to reap these benefits.

Fats are also important for absorbing vital nutrients, supporting cognitive function, and balancing blood sugar levels. Ghee also has a smoke point of 485 degrees so won’t turn rancid like most cooking oils! This makes it fantastic for cooking and baking almost anything.

There are several good brands on the market and we’ve been using this one lately. The Chocti (mentioned above is Tommy’s go-to for lunches and snacks), the original ghee I use to cook with, and the vanilla bean is saved for things like bliss balls and my morning loaded coffee. ;) It would be delicious in this recipe too.

For the low-carb family….Nut butters to the rescue

...and I’m loving these lately.

Naturally Nutty nut butters are the most delicious I’ve had i a while! When you taste them, it feels like there’s much more sugar than there really is. Perhaps because of the warming spices they add. The pumpkin seed flavor is my favorite (and it happens to be in this recipe) It’s keto-friendly and a double win since Tommy can take it to school (no nuts). They have a nice variety of  flavors and many have chia, flax, and hempseeds added in for healthy anti-inflammatory (omega 3) fats.  Other flavors include almond butter (also keto-friendly), sunflower seed butters, and peanut butters. They’re low carb and vegan of course, in fact the owner is a vegan mom who wanted to find other options for healthy snacks that were both nutritious and extremely tasty.

Why I love these silicon molds

Our family is going plastic free! This has been a work in progress and it’s definitely not 100% yet, but if feels so good to not have to worry about BPA ( BPA free is really no better) and any other toxins leaking into our food. Plastic also contains hormone disruptors which can mess with estrogen in your body. No thank you. We mamas have enough hormone swings happening we don’t need anything additional.

Silicon molds are what I use to store breast milk, make popsicles, bake mini breads, and now these sweet & salty granola bars! The size I happen to have makes pretty large bars but you can use the cupcake molds or press into muffin tins if want to go smaller.

Also, if left to sit out too long, they will become granola but in my house, that’s never stopped anyone from eating them. At this point you can store in a mason jar in the fridge to use on top of yogurt for the week.

No-Bake Sweet & Salty Granola Bars with Ghee

4 tbsp ghee (vanilla bean)

2 cups rolled oats (i used these)

¼ cup Sunflower seeds

2 tbsp pumpkin seed butter (or any nut butter you wish) I used this

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

2 tbsp hempseeds

2 Tbsp chia seeds

2 Tbsp dark amber maple syrup or raw manuka honey

½ Sea salt

½ tsp Cinnamon

Place ghee in large pot and stir on low to medium heat until melted. Add additional ingredients and mix until well combined.

Press firmly into silicon molds and place in freezer 4 hours or until set. Pop out and enjoy!

If you like healthy snacks and desserts, why not try one of these?!

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References
https://www.livescience.com/63592-bpa-free-plastic-dangers.html
The anti-anxiety diet Ali Miller, RD, LD, CDE
https://fourthandheart.com/
http://www.naturallynutty.com/