Save money with homemade energy bars
To be fair, store-bought energy bars have several advantages. They come in a light easy-to-open packaging, you don’t need to spend time making them, and someone qualified made sure they taste great. But all of this comes at a price. Nutrition aside, a big issue is that they can be expensive. Considering that high-quality bars cost up to 3 euros or dollars, long intense rides won’t be cheap. You should consider making your portable fuel at home especially if you’re training several times a week and you want both quality and a reasonable price.
You can buy nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and chocolate in bulk to get the best possible price. They have a very long shelf life, and you can make endless variations of nutritious, tasty, and cheap energy bars with them whenever you need to.
Recipe: Sticky Apple Bars
The beauty of making your own energy bars is that you can choose your favourite ingredients. If you like apples, you’ll love this one. It’s just as refreshing as fruit but much richer and energy-dense; an ideal snack for a long ride. This recipe only takes 15 minutes of prep time, no excuses, try it out!
Ingredients
For the crust
12 dates, pits removed
1 cup almond butter
¼ cup honey
¼ cup shredded coconut
½ cup coconut butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
For the toppings
3 apples, cored and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons coconut butter
pinch of cinnamon and salt
Directions
1. Add all ingredients for the crust to a food processor. Heat up coconut butter so that it’s easy to mix in with the rest.
2. Put crust ingredients in a glass baking dish, press down until evenly distributed.
3. Now heat up a large skillet under medium heat. Add your coconut oil, then your sliced apples.
4. Once apples begin to become soft, add your walnuts. Be sure to continuously stir so the apples and walnuts do not burn.
5. Once apples are wilted, add honey and coconut butter along with cinnamon and salt.
6. When all ingredients are incorporated, pour mixture on top of crust and press flat. Put in the fridge to harden for 30-45 minutes.
7. Cut into squares, and you’re done!
