Chewy Chocolate PB & Pretzel Granola Bars (No Bake, Dairy-Free)

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parents.

can we talk about that dramatic, sometimes aggressive, after-school hunger?! oh my word. if my 1st grader doesn't consume a snack (or just some ((preferably healthy)) food, period) before tackling his homework or even attempting to play with his siblings once he gets home from school, omg. train. wreck. he mentally breaks all the way down and struggles to answer the simplest of homework questions; questions he can normally do in his sleep. the first time this happened, well, i wasn't sure what was going on to be honest! he really didn't either, bless his heart.

Chiso struuuuuggled with his homework for a while that day before handing it over to me to check. i marked several answers wrong, slid it back down in front of him, and he lost it. he slammed his pencil and his fists on the kitchen table and screamed, "i can't do it!!". i kinda just stood there in silence and thought, "the heck just happened?? where did my sweet boy go? did he have a bad day? did i do something to upset him? does my child have anger issues!?". yelling back at him would have been the worst thing to do in that moment. after a series of questions about his school day i finally realized the poor guy was just emotional and scatterbrained because he was hungry! at his school, 1st graders don't get snack time anymore and they are the first class to eat lunch (pretty early, like 11:15). so by the time he gets home, he is famished. Chiso is a picky eater and if he doesn't like the lunch being served at school (or if his appetite randomly changes towards the lunch i packed him), he just doesn't eat a thing. sigh. i told him to stop, breathe, and take a snack break. i gave him a banana and some pretzels & natural peanut butter to snack on while i sat with him and continued to chat about his day. after about 15 min, i asked him if he wanted to give his homework another try, and he knocked it out in mere minutes like it was no big deal. i can only imagine sending him off in the mornings with no breakfast and him trying to learn and pay attention to his teachers! this is a very big deal. (s/n: another reason why supporting Kids' Meals, Inc. is so close to my heart).

all that said, these homemade granola bars are the perfect, healthy after-school and/or after-dinner snack for your entire family! why are these so healthy and good for you and stuff?

because they are made up of easily accessible, wholesome ingredients that you can pronounce. each serving has 4g of fiber and 5g of protein!

they are also suuuuper easy and fun to make, so definitely get the kiddos involved! waaaay better and better for your than the packaged stuff.

the chocolate drizzle is actually optional, but the kids loooove to do that part so you can't skip it :)

and #HelloChocolate!

i linked some of the ingredient brands i use when cooking below in the recipe!

Yield: 9 squaresAuthor: Leah K. Egwuatu of fitfoodiele.com

Chewy Chocolate PB & Pretzel Granola Bars

prep time: 2 hour and 30 MINScook time: total time: 2 hours and 30 mins

a no bake, dairy-free, healthier after-school snack alternative for the entire family! the pre-packed granola bars have got nothing on these, trust me.

ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown rice crisps
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup ground flax seed
2 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 packet (optional) Stevia
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tbsp melted peanut butter
1/3 cup agave nectar
9 pretzels
1 tbsp coconut oil

instructions:

combine oats, cereal, baking soda, salt, flax seed, and stevia and mix well. add the pb, 3 tbsp coconut oil, vanilla, agave nectar to a small bowl and microwave in 15 sec increments until the pb has melted down. combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix well. add 1/4 of the chocolate chips to the batter and mix one last time.
line a 9x9 pan with saran wrap or wax paper then wet your fingers. dump the batter into the lined pan and press it down HARD until level and flat. pop the pan into the fridge for 30 minutes.
lift chilled batter out of the square pan (using the overlapping sides of the saran wrap) and lay it on a flat surface. with a warm knife, cut into into 9 squares (or however many you'd like really; the nutritional stats are for 9 servings though).
melt the remaining chocolate chips and 1 tbsp of coconut oil in the microwave in 15 sec increments. mix well until combined. place a pretzel over the top of every of the granola square and drizzle each one with the melted chocolate.
put back into the freezer for 2 hours minimum. overnight is best!

calories

272

fat (grams)

carbs (grams)

protein (grams)

sugar (grams)

Created using The Recipes Generator

parents, we've got to set our little ones up for optimal success via nutrition. send them off right and refill their tanks with GOOD stuff. it's up to us.