I have make it a point to try to decrease my waste when heading out camping, and I realized that a huge plastic waste contributor are the granola bars we always grab on our way out the door. 

So that motivated me to make my own. 

And Lara bars are my absolute favorite. They are light, have a bunch of different flavors, and are so delicious. Plus, they only have a couple ingredients (including my new favorite snack, dates). 

So I ventured out to make my own Lara bars with a little more protein punch…. 

And it was a lot easier than I thought. 

With just a couple simple, cheap, vegan ingredients in my cupboard, I was able to make a lower waste option for snacking with camping, hiking, rock climbing, biking, or whatever else we may be doing outside. 

Description: Blueberry Lemon Granola Bars

Diet: Plant- Based, Vegan, Soy-free

Ways to make low-waste: buy fresh fruit, buy bulk oats, buy bulk peanut butter, use leftover nuts and seeds in your pantry

Recipes makes: 12 granola bars

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups of oats

1 & 1/2 cups of peanut butter 

1 cup of dates

Add-ins: 

Blueberries

1/2 Lemon

Pepitas

Chia Seeds

How-To: 

Combine oats, and mix-ins (chia seeds and pepitas)

Blend the dates in a food processor

Add dates to oats and mix-ins

Melt peanut butter over the stove

Pour over oats and date mixture 

Combine all ingredients and blueberries

 Press mixture into a lined pan

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes

Cut into 12 bars, and take on your next adventure

Your full time plant eater, and now granola bar maker, 

AJ