seriously, i don't feel like paying $1.60 for a fucking larabar. yes, larabars are awesome, but i can't afford awesome. even if i were what the gangstas refer to as "ballin", i'd probably be a slave to my stereotype and insist on bargain shopping anyway. i took this recipe from vegan-a-go-go by sarah kramer and made gerry's date bars. i had to sub apricots for the dried cherries and blueberries, made another sub for the walnuts and used almonds, i opted for sesame seeds instead of hemp seeds, and i didn't have enough dates so i added some figs. do you see why i never follow a recipe? these turned out really yummy and make the perfect brain fuel snack. the taste reminded me of a pimped out fig newton. the recipe suggests you freeze them until you eat them and that's true. they're too mushy otherwise.
here's the mixture out of the food processor. btw, i used cold water to soak the fruit in instead of hot water b/c i didn't want to kill the nutrients. i can't call these bars 100% raw because i used dried fruit that i got for free from walgreen's (and they have icky sulfates). i can't complain because we're broke and i don't turn down free food. had i spent real money making these bars, good organic ingredients would cost $20-$30.
i was able to make 7 bars. i'm sure i could have made a total of 10 smaller ones, truer to larabar size. if i had to spend actual money with cheap-o ingredients, the cost would have been about $10 to get everything, and that would definitely make more than one batch. so to answer the question, "is making these bars really cost effective?" yes, if you go cheap. no if you go organic.have any of you tried saving money making your own versions of favorite commercial food? what worked? what didn't?
jen, i hear ya!!! bars are too freakin expensive. i never buy them anymore. i buy dates in bulk and just make my own. these bar companies won't take our money!!!!
ReplyDeleteyours look awesome. i used to love fig newtons. probably because they are pure sugar and fat.
This looks awesome. The Larabars at the local health food store here are almost $3!! Insane! I buy them for 99 cents once they expire. Heheheh!
ReplyDeleteI got to try Larabars for the first time this summer when visiting the US - yummers, but too damn expensive! My favourite recipe to make homemades is from Ricki at Diet, Desert & Dogs - but there are tons of recipes on the net - thankfully!
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about making my own bars last night while browsing the Lara Bar section. Dried blueberries are crazy expensive!
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