• 4 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (raw, unsalted)
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

What’s great about this recipe is that you can mix and match flavors & textures according to your tastes. Here are some optional ingredients and substitutes to pick from to get the ideas flowing:

• Substitute lemon extract for the vanilla extract.
• Add dried fruit such as raisins, craisins, dried apricots, or pitted dried dates.
• Try different types of chips, such as white chocolate or butterscotch.
• Coconut flakes
• Substitute different types of seeds such as sliced almonds or chia seeds.
• Add 1-1.5 cups of peanut butter.
• Try different spices in place of the cinnamon such as apple pie spice.

(Of course, some of these options are healthier than others)

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together the old-fashioned oats, germ wheat, brown sugar, cinnamon, flaxseed meal, and whole wheat flour in a bowl.2. In a separate bowl, combine the apple sauce, canola oil, vanilla, eggs (beaten), honey, and salt.

3. In the same bowl as your combined dry ingredients, mix in your sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, & mini chocolate chips.

4. Pour your wet ingredients in, then hand mix. If you coat your hand with a little oil or non-stick cooking spray, clean-up will be really easy after mixing.

5. Press your mixture into a non-stick (or greased) oven-safe 9×13 baking dish.

6. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden brown; roughly 20-25 minutes. Cool completely in the baking pan before cutting into bars.

Full of fiber, protein, and other healthy ingredients (such as Omega-3) these dense bars are tasty, filling, and healthy. They have the perfect hint of sweetness and are on the edge of chewiness in texture.
They will keep a few weeks in the fridge or for up to months in the freezer. Wrap the bars individually and just grab and go from the freezer for the perfect breakfast or pre/post workout meal.

Interested in seeing other fictional food made real? Let me know in the comment below and I’d be happy to whip together a recipe for you!