RECIPE: No-Bake Ancient Grain Snacking Squares

As I'm the mother of 12 and 14 year old boys who eat like it's going out of style, I'm always on the lookout for quick and easy recipes for snacks that are relatively nutritious and calorie-dense enough to fill the vast void of their empty stomachs for more than 15 minutes.

These squares are super easy to prepare and with their blend of protein and carbs are great for a pre- or post- sports snack. Of course, they're good just about any other time, too! They will not stand up well to warm temperatures, so don't stuff one in your pocket or take them hiking on a hot summer day or you'll have a big mess on your hands.

Feel free to mess around with this basic recipe as much as you'd like. Any type of puffed cereal (like wheat or rice) can be substituted for the kamut and millet. In fact, you can use just about any type of cereal, and I've even made a batch with my homemade granola. Any type of nut butter would probably work in place of the peanut butter, and you could do a nearly infinite number of combinations of nuts, seeds and dried fruit. If you want them a bit more on the spicy side, try adding more cinnamon, some ground ginger, or some finely chopped crystallized ginger. If you find a particularly delicious combination, be sure to let me know, okay?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups puffed kamut
1 1/2 cups puffed millet
1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup raisins

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, melt honey, peanut butter, chocolate chips and cinnamon together over medium-low heat. Remove from heat and stir in kamut, millet, peanuts and raisins.

Press into a greased 9 x 9" pan and chill until firm. Cut into 16 squares.

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I shared this recipe at Friday Favorites, the GCC Recipe Swap and Sweets for a Saturday.