As women, business professionals, moms and matriarchs, we’re so busy these days that eating healthy can pose a real challenge, especially when we’re constantly on the go. These healthy homemade granola bars are perfect for a quick breakfast, as a nutritious, portable snack or packed in school lunches and will be loved by kids and adults alike.

Be prepared to be blown away by these bars. We couldn’t believe how simple they were to make and how great they tasted. So much so, that we don’t know that we’ll ever buy a store-bought bar again. Bonus: We’d be willing to bet that bar to bar, they’re a lot cheaper than store bought too.

The thing is, most store-bought granola bars that look healthy are loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and are lacking in nutrients. After taking a trip down the supermarket’s oat-filled aisle, a common theme we found was that A LOT of the big name companies (the ones that you and your kids would typically gravitate to) use sneaky words to trick us (the consumers) into thinking that their products are healthy – when they’re FAR from it. We realized not only did we have to pay attention to the ingredients listed when choosing a better bar, we also had to consider the surplus of sugars. We were so surprised by what we found that we wrote an entire article on the topic: Granola Bars: Real Food or Really Unhealthy? (Spoiler Alert).

You can avoid all that excess sugar and empty calories, and feel good about what you’re eating, with these delicious, homemade apricot bars.

On the run?

Wrap individual bars with parchment paper and tie them with string for easy portability

The thing about granola bars is they’re easily customizable. So, if you don’t like a certain ingredient, swap it for another (e.g., apricots for raisins or almonds for more pumpkin seeds). Try to choose an ingredient with a similar consistency to the one you’re swapping… outside of that, the sky is the limit!

Yes, absolutely you can freeze granola bars. When freezing them, we like to wrap each bar individually with waxed paper or parchment paper. (Scotch tape doesn’t stick to these papers, so use masking tape, rubber bands or yarn if you want to secure them.) You can also use aluminum foil for a quick and easy option. We then store them in large, labeled Ziploc bags so we know which type of granola bar we’re getting and their shelf life. These bars freeze well for 2 months.

Apricot bars are great for school lunches. If frozen, pull a bar out in the morning, put it in your kiddo’s lunchbox and it will be thawed by the time they’re ready to eat!