So when I had Zachariah, my friend Brigit brought over some very yummy homemade granola bars! They very quickly became our new "must have around" snack. So since then I make a batch of these a week...and yes that would be just for Ben and I! We love this recipe! (Thanks Brigit!)
Anyways, with how much of these bars that we eat, I thought it might be a good idea to try to "healthy" them up a bit more! So, well at Costco the other day I came across this...
This is Ground Flaxseed!
Some call this the "most powerful plant seed on the planet"! It's packed full of Omega3 Fatty Acids, "good fats"... As well as, Fiber and Lignans (antioxidants and phytoestrogens).
I came across this fun fact on the history of Flaxseed...
*Flaxseed was cultivated in Babylon as early as 3000 BC, according to the Flax Council of Canada. By the 8th century, King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flaxseed that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it. Fast-forward 13 centuries, and some experts would say we have preliminary research to back up what Charlemagne suspected all those years ago.
Okay so, you are probably wondering what all this has to do with the yummy bars. Well, I read on the back that you can actually use this ground Flaxseed as a substitute for butter! But, mainly you can put this stuff in pretty much anything! I Love it! We now put it in our yogurt, use it for baking, add it to out Protien or Raw apple vinegar drinks. Anyways, haha, so I used alot of it in my bars (12 Tablespoons) to sub out some of the butter. I also eliminated most of the brown sugar, but added more honey. You can find the original recipe here.
The result? The bars were a tad dryer than normal, but still very yummy and a bit healthier!!
Next time I would like to add some Natural Peanut butter, too hopefully add a little more of a gooey texture! Trust me, I am NO health expert...but I would like to slowly change my eating habits, because the end result is feeling awesome and having more energy.
Bad Food can become somewhat of even an idol in our lives...and you won't realize it until you cut it completely out! My husband and I are on a "one (for him it's 2) sweet a week" diet, and boy is it harder than I thought. But I have noticed I feel so much better during the week! Remaining faithful to it is the challenge. The reason I say we are "slowly" changing our eating habits, is because it can become so overwhelming at times, the more research you do, on how to live a healthy life style. The more I read, the more it seems that just about everything has a little bit of something in it that is "bad" for you...So I am going to start small :)
