Improv Cooking Challenge: Skinny Cherry Almond Granola Bars

Cherries and almonds.  The perfect ingredients to make some healthy, homemade granola bars for my little girlie!  I've had homemade granola bars on my list of "to-do's" for quite some time, but I wanted to make sure that they weren't loaded with sugar and butter.  I found a recipe on Prevention RD that Nicole raved about and knew that I had to try it ... with just a few changes for the Improv Challenge.  They held together perfectly, and were really yummy!  You could definitely tell they were "healthy" (not to be confused with the overly-sugary store-bought versions), but despite their "healthy taste" my little girlie loved them too.  Sweet success.
Best dishes and yummy dreams!

xo,

Skinny Cherry Almond Granola Bars

Recipe adapted from:  Nicole at Prevention RD

Makes 16 bars

3 1/2 c. old fashioned oats

3/4 c. chopped raw almonds

3 very ripe bananas

2/3 c. unsweetened applesauce

1/2 c. sliced, dried cherries

1/2 c. Craisins

1 tbsp. brown sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 c. dark chocolate chips

2 tbsp. ground flax seed

1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1.  Cover a 9 by 13 baking sheet with parchment paper.

2.  Combine the oats and almonds and spread them out on the parchment paper.

3.  Toast the oats and almonds in the oven for ten minutes, or until golden brown.

4.  In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork and add the applesauce.

5.  In another large bowl, combine the oats and almonds with the remaining ingredients and mix well.

6.  Add the bananas and applesauce to the large bowl until the mixture begins to clump together.  

7.  Spread the mixture back onto the baking sheet with parchment, press down firmly and evenly.  

8.  Bake for 30 minutes.

9.  Cut them into bars, and then leave them to cool before separating the bars. 

Refrigerate for a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Enjoy!  Thanks for reading xo