Snack: Rice Cereal Energy Bars

Recipe by JANOWA We bike and hike several times a week and take these bars with us for a tasty boost of carbs and protein. Wrapped individually and frozen, they are easy to stuff in a pack on your way out the door.

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Sunflower Seeds, Sesame Seeds

Health benefits of Rice Cereal Energy Bars

Sunflower seeds are an excellent food for PCOS as they are packed with vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). Just one cup of sunflower seeds provides 30% of the recommended daily intake for vitamin B6. Sunflower seeds are also loaded with two other important of PCOS busting minerals: zinc and magnesium. Sesame seeds help with progesterone balance. Lignans found in in sesame seeds help to prevent excess estrogen production.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup rolled oats
7 cups crisp rice cereal
1 cup corn syrup
1 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Instructions

Combine the sesame seeds and sunflower seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring until fragrant and toasted. Salt lightly, and set aside to cool.
Combine the dates, raisins, apricots, cherries, chocolate chips and the toasted seeds in the container of a food processor. Pulse to chop until small but not pasty. Transfer to a large bowl, and mix with oats and crisp rice cereal.
In a small glass bowl, mix together the corn syrup, sugar and peanut butter. Heat in the microwave until bubbly. Stir in the powdered milk, vanilla, and almond extract. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the bowl of cereal and goodies, and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is evenly coated.
Press the mixture into a greased 10x15 inch jellyroll pan using wet hands. Cut into squares, and allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.