Tonight I packed a picnic lunch for Dick and I to take along to Avon (Minnesota) for Garrison Keillor's 35th anniversary performance at Lake Wobegon Park tomorrow. We're going to set our lawn chairs in place to mark our spot then hit the bike trail until the 4:45 live radio broadcast draws near. I made these bars to pack along with our sandwiches, boiled eggs, and fresh fruit and veggies. They are surprisingly extremely light considering the ingredients and they have one very strange ingredient… a can of navy beans! The beans, which are pureed in a food processor, are invisible to sight and taste but add a wonderfully smooth texture, bind the mixture together, and add a whopping amount of protein and fiber. The bars' ingredients include 4 out of 12 of the most potent micronutrient-rich foods recommended by Dana Jacobi in her 12 Best Foods Cookbook including beans, oats, walnuts, and chocolate. (She recommends black beans, but I think navy, kidney, pinto, etc. all fall into the nutrient-rich category).
Ultimate Energy Bars
2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (not instant)
1 cup flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour.)
2 tbsp ground flax, 2 tbsp raw wheat germ, 2 tbsp raw sunnies, 2 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds (my additions)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¼ 1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
15-oz can organic white kidney beans or navy beans, rinsed and drained (or black, pinto, aduki, etc… you decide)
¼ cup Earth Balance (a non-hydrogenated buttery spread made from an oil blend) I subbed ¼ cup prune purée (one 2.5 ounce jar baby food prunes works wonderfully.)
1 cup packed brown sugar or Sucanat I subbed ¼ cup maple syrup + ¼ cup honey
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup chocolate chips (I omitted, but try a 70% dark chocolate bar finely chopped?)
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
¼- ½ cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup *coconut (My sister, Rita, thought some coconut would be a tasty addition… and it is.)
Preheat oven to 350°. Place oats in a food processor and pulse until it resembles coarse flour. Transfer ground oats into a mixing bowl. Add flour, flax, wheat germ, sunnies, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and whisk until combined. Put beans into food processor and pulse until puréed. Add prune purée, maple syrup, honey, egg, and vanilla and pulse until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl. Pour bean mixture into oat mixture and stir by hand until almost combined; add chocolate chips, raisins/cranberries, and nuts. Stir until just blended. Spread the batter into a 9- by 13-inch pan that has been oiled or sprayed with cooking spray. (To assure ease of removal, I lined the pan with unbleached parchment paper lightly oiling underneath and on top. Oiling the pan before laying the paper down keeps it in place when spreading the batter.) Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden around the edges. Cool in the pan. (I spread strawberry rhubarb preserves on top.) Cut into 15 squares or halve the bars to make 30. *Organic unsweetened coconut with no sulfites or preservatives is a good choice.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Today’s mileage: 0
Total Mileage for July: 4 miles (same as yesterday)
Bible reading? Yes.
Whiteley Creek Homestead 
