Muesli bars - the quick go to snack for busy mothers who want to shut their kids up, for professional athletes to get some carbs, for tradeys between mouthfuls of curses.

Construed as 'healthy', commercial muesli bars are often filled with cheap grains, flavoured with fructose and bogged with vegetable oils.  Although there are more and more varieties popping up all over the planet, some of them better than others, nothing beats the home-made variety.  This recipe is how I like my muesli bars - full of protein (from nuts), diverse, and naturally flavoured using fruits and spices. 

I made over forty of these muesli bars last week, and they have all but pretty much disappeared.  They have been useful for a quick breakfast option, packed in lunches and eaten as a snack - morning, afternoon or midnight.

 The Ingredients:
1 cup each of walnuts, almonds and pecans
1 cup sunflower kernels
1 cup linseeds
1 cup puffed amaranth
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup oats
1 cup diced dried apricots (preferably without sulphur dioxide)
1 cup vegetable oil-free sultanas, repeatedly rinsed
1 cup pitted prunes
500g flour of choice
1 tsp bi-carb soda
50mL golden syrup
1 can pitted prunes
100mL olive oil
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup soy milk

1. Roughly grind sunflower kernels and linseeds using a mortar and pestle.
NB: Whole seed kernels cannot be broken down by our digestive enzymes, and as most of us do not chew our food properly, it is important to grind them before consuming so we can actually extract their nutrients.



2. Roughly chop half of the nuts and dried fruit.  Blend the rest of the nuts in a food processor


3. Put all dry ingredients into a bowl mixing until all ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.




4. Puree canned prunes.



5. Fold the pureed prunes into the dry mixture. 


6.  Pour in the olive oil and golden syrup.  




7.  Press a ball of the mixture in your hand - it should not be dry and crumbly but should stick together nicely.  Add soy milk accordingly until the mixture is this desired consistency.  



8.  Press firmly into a greased baking tray.  Cook in a preheated oven at around 160 degrees for approximately 40 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on top. 



Yummy! (Says the Backwards Chef who decided to munch on one as she busily typed away).