Granola Bars

[Omid]

I think granola bars are a great survival food. They taste good, give you energy.

What's your opinion? Are they worth the money? (I always get mine when there on sale)

[Rick]

I don't know about worth the money but I do like the chewy ones. I buy the Quaker Oats multi pack or whatever it's called. The one that gives you the S'mores (Mmmmmm) and the chocolate chip (MMmmm) and the other flavors. Those that are harder than asphalt you can keep.

[Omid]

Yea I love the chewey ones. Especially with chocolate.

The problem these days is the rising gas prices. The truckers charge more money to ship stuff, and the food becomes more expensive...

[mbarnatl]

I take some when I go hiking. I also keep somein my BOB and truck kit.

[RobertRogers]

They are certainly handy and overall a healthy choice over candy bars.

[Ole WV Coot]

One minor problem. I can't seem to get them from the kitchen to the door. I eat those things like snacks, or did until the calories were pointed out to me.

[Rick]

Coot - The definition of calories is a unit of measurement for the amount of energy that is released from food upon oxidation by the body. Now the way I see it, I need both energy and oxygen. Both are essential to maintain life. And working on the assumption that if a little of something is good then a whole lot of something is surely a whole lot better, I look for anything high in calories. (It's hard to beat deductive reasoning.) Just remember, if it's sweeter than a July ham it just has to be good for you.

[hoosierarcher]

I like the ones from Kashi. Kashi makes some great foods. They have some great cold cereals, some cookies that are not just delicious but good for you(very high in fiber) and they have at least 5 types of granola bars. One of my personal favorites is Dark chocolate cherry(real dark chocolate and real cherries) I also like the fruit and nit trail mix one. In fact I usually have one of each type they make in my daypack(all outside the obxes stuck wherever there is space. A bottle of water one or two bars and a hunk of jerky is as good as a meal.

[nell67]

I also like the fruit and nit trail mix one"

They have fruit and nits???? :eek:

[Rick]

I tried it once. Turned into a nit picker.

[nell67]

I tried it once. Turned into a nit picker.
Sorta like a monkey???:p

[Rick]

I've been called that, too. And a lot worse.

[owl_girl]

I wanna try making my own with pumpkin, peanut butter, banana chips, honey, oats, quinoa, and allspice and pumpkin pie spice. I put pumpkin and peanutbutter, honey and banana on whole grain toast. Its really good and healthy so I thought I sould try it with ganola sometime. all those ingredients are very nutritious.

[Alpine_Sapper]

I used to go through granola bars like crazy. Then I read somewhere on here a post about meatless pemmican. Started thinking (usually a dangerous thing). so, I modified the meatless pemican recipe to a basic granola recipe, and change it up depending on what I'm making. I use either honey, peanut butter, or both as a binder. Basically just make your granola, add your dried fruit, add your binder, press it into a cookie sheet or 9x9 pan lined with plastic wrap, cut them the width you want them, and wrap them in wax paper (inner) and foil (outer). I make a blueberry peach, an apple walnut, a tropical (pineapple, papaya, macadamia nut, banana and coconut, or any combination thereof), a banana nut, a peanut butter banana, a cranberry walnut, etc. etc. I make em pretty big, about the size of three of the chewy ones from Quaker. Toss two of those and a couple ounces of home made beef jerkey into your bag and your good for a day on the trails. Kids love'em two. The best thing? I know EXACTLY what's in it. :D

[wareagle69]

i just carry a multi vitamin bottle in my kit, but i do take bars for lunch at work

[Rick]

I thought I posted this. Anyway, here's a recipe I picked up from Alton Brown, I think.

8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries


Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.

Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.

[Buddha443556]

I don't think granola bars would make a great survival food. The ones everyone likes with the marshmallow and chocolate are 120 calories each so for 1200 calories per day you'd eat 10 bars, 88mg sodium in each bar comes to 880mg per day - you better have a good source of water. They are also lacking in all the other goodies too- vitamins and minerals.

Now I'm hungry for granola bars with marshmallow and chocolate.

[Alpine_Sapper]

i just carry a multi vitamin bottle in my kit

Huh? I do too. what does that have to do with granola bars?

[Rick]

On the other hand, you could stuff your multi vitamins inside of twinkies. Viola! Healthy twinkies.

[crashdive123]

My favorite store bought "granola" bar is by Kashi. The Kashi Go Lean Chewy Oatmeal and Rasins. Yummmmmm. ....and since it says "Go Lean" in the title - it's got to be good for you right? Right????

[Buddha443556]

My favorite store bought "granola" bar is by Kashi. The Kashi Go Lean Chewy Oatmeal and Rasins. Yummmmmm. ....and since it says "Go Lean" in the title - it's got to be good for you right? Right????
They're higher in calories, only 4 or 5 bars (?) instead of 10 of these yummy marshmallow and chocolate ones ... yeah I've been to the store. Less sodium but they contain potassium which might be worst when you're under stress and working your butt off to survive. Kashi has more carbs too.

[Alpine_Sapper]

They're higher in calories, only 4 or 5 bars (?) instead of 10 of these yummy marshmallow and chocolate ones ... yeah I've been to the store. Less sodium but they contain potassium which might be worst when you're under stress and working your butt off to survive. Kashi has more carbs too.

Making your own you can make them as calorie dense as you want, and the size that you want. They don't have as long of a shelf life, so they're not "survival food" and more for backpacking or hiking, but they have a lot of carbs which is a good thing. It's basically calorie and carbohydrate fortified GORP in bar form.

Why do you say a food having potassium may be worse when under stress? You're body needs potassium for your muscles to function. That's why runners eat so many banana's after a marathon. Carbs and potassium. ;)

[Rick]

Tastes great! Less potassium, sodium and calories! Tastes great! Less potassium, sodium and calories!....

[Ole WV Coot]

HUH, bunch of calories?? I eat those things like popcorn. They ain't survival bars, more like heart stoppers. Oh well don't guess one more box will make any difference now.

[Buddha443556]

Why do you say a food having potassium may be worse when under stress? You're body needs potassium for your muscles to function. That's why runners eat so many banana's after a marathon. Carbs and potassium. ;)
As long as you have enough water and your kidney's are in good shape and not injured the potassium should be excreted however excess potassium in the blood may cause muscle spasms and cramps. Potassium toxicity causes listlessness, mental confusion, numbness, tingling of limbs, a sense of weakness, clamminess, low blood pressure, and a slow heart beat. Not good in an emergency. There's an upside and a downside to potassium.

I'd love to be stuck in a SHTF situation with a lovely amazon goddess who runs triathlons but I know I better prepare to be stuck with mum who has both kidney failure and CHF. So Mayday food rations and no high potassium treats for my survival pack.

I think the keyword was "survival" in the original question. Granola Bars, great snacks but I would not want to live on them ... though I could use another box of them to snack on. :o

[Alpine_Sapper]

As long as you have enough water and your kidney's are in good shape and not injured the potassium should be excreted however excess potassium in the blood may cause muscle spasms and cramps. Potassium toxicity causes listlessness, mental confusion, numbness, tingling of limbs, a sense of weakness, clamminess, low blood pressure, and a slow heart beat. Not good in an emergency. There's an upside and a downside to potassium.

I'd love to be stuck in a SHTF situation with a lovely amazon goddess who runs triathlons but I know I better prepare to be stuck with mum who has both kidney failure and CHF. So Mayday food rations and no high potassium treats for my survival pack.

I think the keyword was "survival" in the original question. Granola Bars, great snacks but I would not want to live on them ... though I could use another box of them to snack on. :o

Here's some info on what potassium does for you:

Potassium’s roles in the body include:
# maintains fluid and electrolyte balance
# helps transmit nerve impulses
# helps regulate blood pressure and reduces the risk of stroke
# helps maintain a regular heartbeat
# helps prevent muscle cramps

http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/HGIC4069.htm

Here's some info on what an excess does:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001179.htm

I'm not saying I want to LIVE on granola bars. Like I stated previously, they're not a survival food.

However, I'm not going to not stockpile something because it has potassium in it. It's to vital of a nutrient to be worried about, and in a situation where you're exerting a lot of physical energy, you need it to be replaced. imho, a lack of potassium is more dangerous in a survival situation than an excess. Even moreso now that I've reviewed the data again.

[Omid]

thanks for the recpie Rick, I will try to make it.

Oh be sure to check the experation dates, then dryer ones last longer but I dont like them too much

[Omid]

granola bars r tasty