As much as possible, we enjoy a whole food diet and avoid processed foods that come with an ingredient list that requires a degree in chemistry to decipher... The Girl has celiac disease and some food allergies so this also means we watch what we buy very carefully and don't eat out very much.

I love to cook and she loves my cooking and we are on the same page when it comes to the things we like although I just eat twice as much...

The home made power bars are a hit with my kids as well as my adult friends and only take a few minutes to make as they are a no bake recipe although you will need your stove.

I combine 1 cup of natural peanut butter (you can also use almond butter) with 1 cup of honey and warm this in a saucepan until it has a smooth consistency and then add 3 cups of oats and another cup of whatever else I feel like adding to the recipe, mix well, and then press this into an 8 by 8 baking pan.

I usually roast almonds and sunflower seeds as they add a nice nutty flavour and add to the protein content and dried fruit is always a nice addition.

Once this has chilled in the fridge for a few hours I cut it into bars and with gluten free oats The Girl can also enjoy these... she prefers the almond butter version and I will sometimes use half a cup of maple syrup with half a cup of honey to make the bars less sweet.

Did the math on the ingredients and these have a nice balance of carbs, protein, and fat and contain about 275 calories each... they are also very dense and filling.

On one ride I started tossing these out at people and once folks had this little power snack the pace of the group went up by a fair bit... the honey / maple syrup gives an immediate energy boost and then provides a nice sustained source of energy as the more complex carbs and fats are processed.