Curves Cereal Fruit & Nut Bars Recipe

Thanks to Mary Andrew for this yummy contribution to the blog!

CURVES CEREAL FRUIT AND NUT BARS

 

Prep Time:  20 minutes

Start to finish:  50 minutes

 

4 cups Curves Honey Crunch cereal - or use the Fiber One

1 cup chopped mixed dried fruit or dried fruit bits (from 7-oz bag)

½ cup roasted unsalted sunflower seeds

½ cup dry-roasted peanuts

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup corn syrup

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

 

1.  Coat a 9” x 9” pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, mix cereal, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, and peanuts.

2.  In a 2-qt. saucepan, mix sugar, corn syrup, and peanut butter.  Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly.  Boil and stir 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3.  Pour syrup over snack mix and toss to coat.  Press firmly in pan.  Cool completely, about 30 minutes.  For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

 

Per Bar:  150 calories, 3 g. protein, 25 g carbohydrate, 4.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 95mg sodium.

 

Substitution:  Get creative and replace the dried fruit and seeds with different flavors.  Try dried cranberries with pistachios or dried apricots with almonds.

 

Health Twist:  Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats from nuts and seeds is good for your heart.  But, fats are high in calories so keep portions small.