Homemade Snack Bar

Though there are definitely snack bars out there that taste good and are fairly balanced, sometimes you like to know exactly what’s going in your bar. This recipe is easy and fits all of our requirements for being a balanced snack bar. Best of all, it tastes good!

Serves 10

3 ½ cups quick oats
1 ½ cups powdered non-fat milk
4 scoops chocolate or vanilla protein powder
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup sugar-free maple syrup
2 egg whites
¼ cup orange juice
1 tsp Vanilla
¼ cup natural applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl and blend well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, egg whites, orange juice, vanilla, and applesauce.
4. Stir wet mixture (step 3) into dry mixture (step 2).
5. Spread mixture evenly onto a sprayed baking sheet.
6. Bake until edges are crisp and brown.
7. Cut into 10 bars.

Calories: ~185
Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Protein: 15g
Total Carbohydrates: 27g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 18g

Night Snacking and Weight

Night-snacking tends to be a problem for many. After dinner, we finally have a chance to relax. Oftentimes that relaxation comes with snacking. In a study published in 2004 by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, researchers examined whether eating a calorie-controlled snack at night would help with weight management in night snackers. Sixty-two men and women were divided into two groups: calorie-controlled night snackers vs. ad libitum night snackers. The participants followed their assigned night-snacking routine for four weeks. After four weeks, those in the calorie-controlled night snacking group lost about 2 pounds while those in the group who ate ad libitum lost less than half a pound. Though in this case the calorie controlled snack was a measured out bowl of cereal, any calorie controlled item (i.e. a snack bar) may help to keep you from overeating and thus gaining weight.

Snack Bar Break

Though in an ideal world we would all eat balanced meals and snacks with whole grains, lean protein, and lots of fruits and vegetables, realistically it is often too time consuming and impractical. However, we can’t just starve until we have time to grab a decent meal. That’s where bars come in. Bars are quick, and if you choose the “right” ones, they can be balanced and filling. They are great to keep in your purse or briefcase if a meeting runs late and lunch seems far away, in the glove compartment of your car if you get stuck in traffic, or by the front door if there’s no time for breakfast so you can grab one and go.

The tricky part when it comes to bars is figuring out which ones are best or the most balanced. To help you, we’ve outlined a few nutrients/ingredients to watch for when choosing a bar. The major question to ask yourself, however, is will this bar help me eat less later or will it simply set off a sugar craving and leave me wanting more.

Calories
As a snack, ideally it should have less than 200 calories. If you’re replacing a meal, it can be higher than this, but beware that the very high calorie bars usually contain loads of sugar and/or saturated fat.

Fiber
Fiber helps by slowing digestion and allowing you to feel fuller longer. Finding high fiber bars can be tough, but aim for at least 3 grams of fiber per bar.

Protein
There are loads of high protein bars out there, but the main idea of protein is to balance out the carbohydrates and satiate us longer. There is no need to go overboard with protein (keep in mind, this is just a snack), but aim to get at least 7 grams in your bar.

Fat
You do want to have some fat in your bar to keep your snack balanced, to allow for a more satisfying snack, and to improve the taste and texture of the bar. However, try to keep the fat below 5 grams, with as little as possible coming from saturated fat. Also, avoid any bars with trans fats.

Sugar
This is definitely the hardest ingredient to assess. Most of the bars contain lots of sugar to improve taste. We decided to judge sugar based on its relation to fiber in the bar. Aim for bars that have at most a 6 to 1 ratio of sugars to fiber. For instance, if a bar has 3 grams of fiber, it should have no more than 18 grams of sugar.

To be honest, it was almost impossible to find a bar that fit all of our requirements. The bottom line is that you have to choose which ingredients are most important to you, and which bars help you most in staving off hunger (and which you like the taste of!). We’ve chosen some of our favorites to give you some ideas. The bars in bold fit every requirement.

Bar	Calories	Total Fat(g)	Saturated Fat(g)	Protein(g)	Carbs(g)	Fiber(g)	Sugar(g)
Bellybar™ (for pregnant women)	170-180	4-6	1-2.5	8	22-26	2	11-13
Clif® Mojo™	180-210	8-11	1-2	9-10	19-23	2-3	8-12
Gnu® Foods	130-140	3	0-1	3-4	30-32	12	8-9
Kashi™ GOLEAN® Roll!	190-200	5	1.5-2	12	27-29	6	13-14
Kashi™ TLC™*	120-180	2-6	0.5	5-7	19-26	4	5-8
Larabar®	180	4	2	8	29	5	11
Luna® Sunrise™	180	4	2	8	29	5	11
Luna®*	180-190	3.5-6	0.5-3	9-10	23-28	3-5	9-11
Pria® Complete Nutrition	170	6	4	11	22	5	7
Slim Fast® Optima™ Meal On-The-Go Bar	180-220	4-9	2.5-4	8	28-35	2-3	12-16
thinkGreen™	180-190	5-7	1-3	6-7	27-29	2-4	15-22

*Not every bar in this brand fits all of the requirements.

Take this guide with you as you navigate the supermarket aisles. By keeping balanced, healthy bars on hand, you will never have an excuse for going hungry!