Birdseed Squares

3 more days till springs!! Yay! Not only is spring right around the corner so are many birthdays, baby showers, weddings and more birthdays. It seems like everyone was either born in April or being born in April, all of a sudden I'm jam packed with making cookie favours, cakes, sugar flowers and party decorations. Eeeks!!...good thing I work better under pressure because it's gonna be BUSY:) The great thing about all these different celebrations is that I will be able to share my new projects will you all. There is one occasion in particular that I'm really excited about partly because it's for someone very special and partly because the colour scheme for the party is so COOL, I can't really elaborate more on this yet but it's gonna be GOOD!! You'll see!! :)


The snow is slowly melting and soon enough we'll able to start spending more time in the great outdoors although I must say I will definitely miss ice fishing. But the great thing about living in Canada is that with each season there is new and different activities to enjoy.  Ice fishing is going, going.... gone but hello fly fishing and hiking.


 So as winter turns to spring outside, the baking continue inside my kitchen. I thought I'd share a great recipe for homemade granola bars which I call Birdseed Squares. These bars are packed with healthy nuts, seeds, grains and honey, hence the name for Birdseed Squares, any birdie would be lucky to eat them ;) All natural no preservatives, these bars are great to take hiking, fishing or on any outing your planning. That's why I thought what better time to introduce this delicious, nutrition bar recipe to you than now. With spring around the corner you'll be needing a great recipe for all your on-the-go outdoor activities that's easy, delicious and healthy too :) 

~Birdseed Squares~  

2 cups sunflower seeds 

2 cups sesame seeds

2 cups shredded coconut

2 cups oats

 2 cups peanuts

2 cups granola

1 cup honey

2 cups sugar

2 slices of  lemon

Toast the sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, oats, and peanut in a wide non-stick frying pan. Heat the seeds, oats or peanuts on medium-high. shaking the pan occasionally. Remove the seeds (other ingredients) when they are toasted brown in colour and fragrant. It takes 3-5 minutes to toast each ingredients on the stove top. 

Pour the toasted sunflower seeds, toasted sesame seeds, toasted oats into a large mixing bowl. Toast the peanuts till golden brown, then coarsely chop peanut and add to dry ingredients. Add coconut and granola. Mix till all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.

In a pot combine, honey, sugar and lemon slices. Cook ingredients on medium-high for 10 minutes till sugar dissolves . Don't let the mixture come to a boil! Remove from heat and remove lemon slices, then pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir till the dry ingredients are well coated with the warm honey/sugar mixture.

Dump the granola mixture into a well greased 9x13 pan. Using a  buttered spatula or wet hands with water. then evenly press the mixture into  the prepared 9x13 pan. Score the granola bars while still warm, then cool completely. Cut into bars.

 Serve immediately or store in an air tight container. Store no more than three days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand  at room temperature for 1/2 hour before serving.  

Enjoy

Step by Step Instructions : How to Make Birdseed Squares

 Toast the oats in a wide non-stick frying pan on medium high. Toast till brown in colour and fragrant about 3-5 minutes.  

Pour into a large mixing bowl.

Oats are well known as being heart-healthy. Help to lower "bad" cholesterol, cutting the risk of heart disease.

Toast sunflower seeds till golden and fragrant. Add to mixing bowl with toasted oats. 

Sunflower seeds are packed with vitamins, including vitamin B1 and B5, vitamin E and folate. The fats in sunflower seeds are heart healthy fats. 

Toast sesame seeds till golden, add to mixing bowl with other dry ingredients.

Sesame seeds are rich in vitamins and minerals. The seeds are also a very good source of dietary proteins with fine quality amino acids that are essential for growth, especially in kids.

Toast peanut till golden brown, coarsely chop on cutting board with a sharp knife and then add to mixing bowl containing other dry ingredients.

Peanuts are rich in energy. They rich in mono-unsaturated fatty acids that help lower "bad cholesterol" The nuts are a rich source of minerals like copper, zinc, calcium and many more.

Add shredded coconut to dry ingredients.

Coconut boost energy and endurance. It creates a nutritional boost of energy that lasts.Coconut increases the metabolic rate of the body, helping burn excess body weigh.

Add 2 cups of your favorite granola mix to the dry ingredients bowl.

Granola is a healthy combinaiton of oats, grains,nut, dried fruit and sometimes honey. It's a good source of fiber and vitamins.

Stir to combine all the dry ingredients. Set aside while you make the honey/sugar mixture.  

               Kinda looks like Birdseed right?  

In a  saucepan combine sugar, honey and lemon slices. 

Honey give an immediate energy boost. it has antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties. Honey has many amazing benefits!

Lemon -two biggest health benefits are immune boosting powers from vitamin C and their use as weight lose aid

Cook the honey/sugar mixture on medium-high for 10 minutes until sugar dissolves. Don't let the mixture boil, it kills all the health benefits in the honey and it will boil over and make a huge mess in your burner.

It's times like these that I'm thankful that my dad is a beekeeper and I have a stash of delicious unpasteurized honey at my disposal anytime I need it :)

Remove the lemon slices and pour the honey mixture over the dry ingredients.

Use a wooden spoon or spatula  and stir till the dry ingredients are well coated with the warm honey/sugar mixture. Don't use your hands to mix the ingredients, you'll burn them.

Dump the granola mixture into a well greased 9x13 pan. Preferably one you don't mind cutting squares in. 

You can evenly press the mixture  down with a buttered spatula or slightly wet  hands.

Score the bars while still warm, then allow to cool completely, cut into bars and serve immediately or store in air tight containers

The best energy bars ever! Birdseed Squares.....

Great for hikes, long road trips and fishing. Keep fairly long in freezer unless you eat them all ;) These are so easy to make and have so many healthy nutritious ingredients, store bought granola bars sound healthy but at times are no better than a chocolate bar. The best part is that these bars have no preservatives, none will be needed because these bars are so good they never last long.

Variations:

Apricot Krispie Birdseed Squares: Reduce oats to 1 cup. Add 2 cup rice Krispies and  1 cup chopped dried apricots. 

This is just one of many variation that are possible. You can substitute sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds and add dried cranberries, blueberries or cherries.. Try substituting the peanuts for almonds, pecans or any favorite nut. You can even substitute the sugar for raw sugar if desired, I have never tried Stevia sugar substitute but it might be a good natural sweetener for sugar in this recipe.  

Thanks for stopping by,

Happy Baking!

Love Katya