Snack: Fruit and Nut Chewy Bars

These homemade fruit and nut bars are a refreshing alternative to packaged granola bars. Be sure to use Medjool dates — the bars will be too dry otherwise.

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Cranberries, Honey, Apples

Health and fertility benefits of Fruit and Nut Chewy Bars

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Researchers believe that cranberries contain substances that prevent infection-causing bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls. However, store-bought cranberry juice is typically all sugar - so make sure to stick with straight cranberries. One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55. Apples will improve your body's sensitivity to insulin (Reference: http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full)

Ingredients

1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 1/2 cups regular rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped dried apples

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 °. Spread nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until light golden, 10 to 12 minutes.
Warm honey in a microwave until the consistency of thin syrup. In a food processor, pulse honey, dates, cinnamon, and oats until oats are coarsely chopped.
Scrape oat mixture into a medium bowl. Break up any clumps of dates and, if needed, chop any large date chunks. Stir in nuts, cranberries, and apples. Squeeze mixture into a ball. Line baking sheet with foil and oil foil. Using damp hands, firmly pat mixture onto foil into a compact 6- by 12-in. rectangle.
Freeze until rectangle is firm enough to cut, about 20 minutes. Lift rectangle from foil to a work surface and cut into 16 bars. Wrap bars individually. They get moister and chewier after standing at least a day.
Make ahead: Up to 1 week, chilled, or 1 month, frozen; for transport, pack in containers to protect them.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per bar.

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