Most of us need a snack to get through our day. “Only 6 percent of people don’t snack at all,” explain Hy-Vee Dietitian Carrie Nielsen when she appeared on her local ABC News. And 50 percent of us are frequent snackers, noshing on a little pick-me-up two or three time a day. Health experts say that’s fine and dandy as long as you’re smart about it, such as choosing Nielsen’s no-bake – and Regular Girl enhanced – pumpkin spice granola bars.
Nielsen had this snacking advice for viewers: “Make the most of your snacks by choosing nutrient-rich, high-fiber foods.” Fiber, she explained, is great for digestive and cardiovascular health. She suggested picking up fiber-packed crackers, chips, nuts, hummus and “natural fast foods” such as apples, pears and oranges. She also shared this tasty fall-inspired recipe which gets a fiber boost from Regular Girl.
No-bake pumpkin spice granola bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups regular oats
- 2 cups slivered almonds, toasted
- 1 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds without the shell), toasted
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 4 scoops Regular Girl prebiotic soluble fiber and probiotic blend
- 1 ½ cups creamy peanut butter
- 1 ½ cups maple syrup
Directions
- Line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, overlapping the edges of the pan.
- Combine oats, almonds, flaxseed, pepitas, cranberries, salt, pumpkin pie spice and Regular Girl in a large mixing bowl.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut butter and maple syrup. Place in microwave and cook 1 ½ to 2 minutes, or until mixture is a thin, pourable consistency.
- Add peanut butter mixture to dry ingredients and mix together until well combined. Place mixture in prepared pan.
- Place in refrigerator for 1 hour to set, then cut into bars.