I have three perpetually-hungry small people living in my home. At the same time, they’re less small now than they used to be (two of them are actually my size or larger now!), and boy-oh-boy do they EAT!

So granola bars make up a big part of our daily lunch and snack routine. Trouble is, granola bars (even the most basic, preservative-stuffed junk-foody ones) can get expensive and add up in a hurry. But ingredients aren’t nearly as expensive. Seriously. Even with the ritzy, all-organic, individually wrapped chocolate chips that were hatched in a unicorn’s nest and hand-picked by fairy kittens, the price of a truly healthy bar that you can throw together in your own kitchen is still cents on the dollar of the pre-fabricated kind.

So! Depending on whether you’re aiming for more of a protein bar, or more of an “energy” bar, feel free to exchange dry ingredients on my list of Easy Substitutes. Don’t like coconut? No biggie. Nut allergies? Easy peasy. Gluten-free? Done! Don’t have fancy schmancy vegan cereal? Use the frickin’ Cap’n Crunch you fished out of the bottom of the box. Snack bars are just one of those foods that thrive on substitutions – they’re just that flexible. Don’t ever let a lack of ingredients get in the way of your channeling your inner Martha!

For this, you do need a food processor. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, and will bring you a step closer to understanding the meaning of life, but also because you won’t have to freaking grind your own oats by hand.

Enjoy!

[fancy_header type=”3″]Easy Substitutions List[/fancy_header]

The ingredients on the following lists can be used interchangeably in any of these recipes below. I’m including some links fir the less common products.

List #1:

  • Raisins
  • Dried cranberries
  • Dried blueberries
  • Dried apricots/peaches/apples (chopped)
  • Dried unsweetened coconut flakes (or use sweetened in a pinch, just realize it will affect your overall taste and nutritional content)
  • Dried prunes (chopped)

List #2:

  • Raw or roasted walnuts/pecans/cashews/almonds/pistachios, chopped
  • Dry cereal (I like puffed brown rice cereal, but you can use regular crispy rice cereal, roughly crushed corn flakes, puffed wheat, oat/bran “O”s, or muesli)
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Flaxseed, or flaxseed meal (depending on texture required)
  • Quinoa (rinsed)
  • Puffed amaranth
  • Millet
  • Pumpkin seeds
  • Steel-cut oats
  • Rolled oats
  • Hazelnuts
  • ***and you can substitute partial volumes for chia seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, chocolate chips or chopped chocolate (if substituting chocolate, go easy on the sugar/honey/sweetener)

List #3:

List #4:

Pitted dates (chopped) give a lot of body and are the base for several of these recipes. The flavor is not typically featured, so no worries if you’re not a fan – it’s more about texture and nutritional content. You can try substituting part prunes and part dried figs/raisins/dried apricots – feel free to improvise, as long as you maintain the richness and moisture for the bar to hold together.

List #5:

  • Almond butter
  • Peanut butter (go for unsweetened, better for you and gives you more control over what you’re doing)
  • Cashew butter
  • Sunflower butter
  • Regular butter (I would only substitute half the nut butter with regular butter at the most, and only in recipes where you are making a base syrup to pour over ingredients to harden – definitely not in chewy recipes)

Of course, there are about a million other substitutions you could make, but this is a good starting points. Be sure to let me know what your favorite substitutions are!

[fancy_header type=”3″]Chewy No-Bake Coconut Fudge Bar[/fancy_header]

[yumprint-recipe id=’26’] 

[fancy_header type=”3″]Copycat Kind Bars[/fancy_header]

One of my favorites (and definitely one of my kids’!) – a firmer nutty bar, crunchy, with a sprinkle of sea salt and dark chocolate. I follow Monica’s recipe from TheYummyLife.

 

[fancy_header type=”3″]Maple Nut Bars[/fancy_header]

[yumprint-recipe id=’27’] 

[fancy_header type=”3″]Chewy Berry Granola Bars[/fancy_header]

[yumprint-recipe id=’28’] 

[fancy_header type=”3″]Chewy Chocolate Coconut Rice Bars (No Bake)[/fancy_header]

[yumprint-recipe id=’29’]Thanks for reading! Let me know what your favorite ingredient substitutions are!