“Mom, I will be very late tonight! I have emergency duty at the hospital. Pack me some extra food.”, said my ‘soon to be doctor’ daughter as she was leaving for the hospital. You can very well imagine the precarious position I would be in whenever I have to discuss food with my daughter. She knows that eating the right food at right time is essential and but actually getting her to do that is a tough job! Most moms will identify with this.
Eating the right food at right time is always a challenge for all of us. Hence snacks to be packed in the tiffin are a big worry all the time because its always a fight between tasty and healthy! I like the ‘food as medicine’ philosophy of Hippocrates. He said “Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food.”
One of the snack items that I like to pack up for my kids is a very easy and healthy bar. Lot of energy bars are available in the market but they have that not so appealing taste. Also if you can bake them at home without much of an effort then why not? My version of these healthy bars can serve as an on-the-go light breakfast, or as an afternoon quick bite. They are good for sports people as well as they are a quick source of energy. They are made of oats, almond meal, whole wheat flour and all purpose flour. They are quick to make and that extra layer of dark chocolate turns them into a chocolate lovers treat.
Ingredients
- Butter 90 g
- All Purpose Flour or maida – 1/2 cup
- Wheat Flour or atta – 1/2 cup
- Almond flour – 1/2 cup
- Rolled oats – 1.5 cups
- Brown Sugar – 1 cup
- Baking Soda – 1 tsp
- Salt – a pinch
- Dark Chocolate – 150 g
- Milk – 50 g
Method
- Preheat oven to 180 ºC and grease a 8 or 9 inch baking tray.
- Sift the all purpose flour along with baking soda and add to it oats, whole wheat and almond flours without sifting. Mix in the sugar and salt as well.
- Melt the butter and pour it over the above mixture. Mix well.
- Deposit the mixture in the baking tray and press tightly and evenly.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ºC for 15-20 minutes or till done. Cool.
- Chop the dark chocolate and pour hot milk over it. keep aside for 5 minutes and then stir till the mixture is absolutely lump free. Let it cool till it thickens slightly.
- Un-mould the baked mixture while still warm and let it cool down. Spread the chocolate frosting over it. Allow the chocolate mixture to set completely and then cut into bars or squares.
These energy bars are definitely very tasty. They can also be topped with chopped nuts like walnuts and almonds. The amount of sugar can be reduced as per our taste. The chocolate frosting can be dark, milk or white or even sugar free. Pick your favourite topping and give these healthy bars a try.
Rolled oats?U have not mentioned at wat step we afford them
Hello! Thanks for the query. The rolled oats have to be added along with almond and whole wheat flour in step 2. Hope this answers your question.