I’ve been following the excellent “Happy Body” diet and exercise protocol for some time, which involves eating every three hours (to optimise metabolism) during a 12 hour period:

• 08:00: breakfast
• 11:00: snack
• 14:00: lunch
• 17:00: snack
• 20:00: dinner

So, what to eat for the “snack”?  One of the options suggested is a “cereal bar” so, rather than buying these, I’ve adopted a weekly process of making a batch of bars (enough for 16 bars; covering my requirements for 2 daily, with 2 “spares”!).  The following recipe is optimised for my calorie requirements in a snack (as a 188cm tall male), so please adjust as you see fit.

The process to create a batch takes around 25 minutes weekly, so I consider it a very good investment of time and effort.  I use organic ingredients (where possible), so this makes it relatively expensive.  Again, adjust as you see fit for your own requirements.

The end result is a “cereal bar” which is mostly fruit (date).  From a taste and texture point of view, the cinnamon and date combination reminds me of Christmas cake (without the icing and marzipan, of course).  It’s genuinely tasty, and I’ve only had compliments from friends who have tasted a sample!

Equipment

1. Nutribullet or similar blender (to easily chop up the nuts, primarily, into small enough pieces)
2. Chopping board
3. Sharp knife
4. Weighing scale and small bowl for weighing
5. Large bowl for mixing the ingredients
6. Wooden spoon
7. Baking tray (although no baking required!)
8. Greaseproof paper
9. Large airtight plastic box for refrigerated storage of the bars

Ingredients

Hence, divided into 16 bars, this results in around 270 calories per bar.

Process

Add dried cranberries to the bowl

Add seeds

I keep a box of mixed seeds (flax, sunflower, sesame, chia) and dried goji berries around at all times (also useful when making smoothies).  Note: the seeds are milled (using my Nutribullet) as they are more digestible in this state.

Add nuts and chocolate

I blend this a little (around 2 handfuls at a time) in my Nutribullet.  Note: only a few seconds is necessary for each handful; over-blending can melt the chocolate, rather than keeping it in a more ideal powdered state.  NB: I include 2-3 brazil nuts only (so as to get an optimum weekly dose of selenium).

Add cinnamon

Add turmeric and black pepper

The cereal bar is a great way to get the ideal daily dose of a combined turmeric and black pepper mix, for a natural anti-inflammatory benefit.  I’ve also recently started to add amla (Indian gooseberry powder) for its impressively positive effects on cholesterol.

Add chopped dates

I use a medium-sized knife, pictured, to cut the dates in half… checking that there are no stones in allegedly “pitted” dates, and removing the stones if they are non-pitted, and flattening the date onto the chopping board for easier chopping into small pieces.

Stir the mixture with wooden spoon

Add a glass of water and stir again

Spoon onto a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, then flatten out

The flattening-out process is “manual”; the only part of the process that involves getting your hands into the mixture.  I take off my watch and wash my hands thoroughly before starting this!

Cover the flattened-out mix, and store in the refrigerator

The flattened-out mix needs to be stored in the fridge for at least half a day.  In that time, it will dry out a little, and become a little more firm.  At that point, you can cut it into pieces.  I cut it into quarters, then quarter those and, yes, I use a ruler to ensure that these are as accurate as they can be!  You don’t need to be quite so obsessive.

After a further day or so, you should store the bars in an airtight box (to prevent further drying-out) and eat within the week.  Enjoy!!!