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    Home » recipes » baking

    By Amanda Smyth 20 Comments

    sugar free nut bars + flying the nest

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    The Big Sister has been back at kindy for two whole days now.  Normally you could count on me to pen a post about how I wept tears of relief when we arrived at the kindy gate fifteen minutes early on Tuesday morning.  Not this term.

    You see, this holidays I’ve realised that there are parents doing it much tougher than me.  Parents whose children are incessantly demanding.  Parents of children who can't or won't feed themselves.  Parents of grown children who will not leave home despite appearing to be functioning individuals.

    Yes folks, our resident Willy Wagtail family are going through a rough patch.  Mum looks constantly frazzled and things are so bad, even Dad is pitching in.  Baby Willy, now ¾ the size of his* parents, has two perfectly functioning wings, but prefers to sit on the fence all day demanding moth deliveries.  While his folks spend their days in a flap attending to his every buggy desire, Baby Willy is being a professional pain in the arse.  He reminds me of a forty-year old man living at home with his parents rent-free because his mum still does his washing.

    the incessant mother-loving feeding
    the incessant mother-loving feeding
    Baby Willy awaits elevenses
    Baby Willy awaits elevenses

    When I watch Baby Willy’s Mummy flitting all over the farm, I want to smooth her ruffled feathers, offer her a cup of tea and a good lie down.  If she ate people food I’d offer her an adults-only nut bar.  There’s nothing R-rated about them – they're sugar free - I just think sometimes it’s nice to not have to share everything with the little blighters.sugar free nut bars from cooker and a looker

    sugar free nut bars

    ingredients:

    ½ cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
    ½ cup almond meal
    ½ cup slivered almonds
    ½ cup sunflower seeds
    ½ cup desiccated coconut
    ½ cup pistachio
    ¼ cup sesame seeds
    ¼ cup linseeds
    125g butter
    ½ cup rice malt syrup
    ¼ cup stevia

    method:
    Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper Combine the nuts, seeds, almond meal and coconut in a large dry frying pan.  Cook over a low - medium heat, stirring constantly for 10 minutes or until browned. Set aside to cool in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter then add the rice malt and stevia.  Stir for 3-4 minutes or until the stevia dissolves.  Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer without stirring for 8 minutes. Pour the syrup over the dry ingredients and stir well.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover with baking paper and press flat. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.
    These nut bars have been my savour when I've been craving something sweet.  Rice malt is stacked with complex carbohydrates, so the energy is released slowly over a longer period of time and the nuts deliver a protein punch.  A perfect snack for sustained concentration - I included them in my exam care packages this year.
    Willy's mother wistfully remembers the last time she went to the toilet alone. or she's looking for more bugs.
    Willy's mother wistfully remembers the last time she went to the toilet alone.
    Or she could be looking for more bugs.  Whatever.

    I, for one, hope Baby Willy lives long enough to build a mud nest with his own beak and produce a brood of his own because karma’s a bitch, Baby Willy.

    how did the holidays treat you?

    do you know a human who refuses to fly the nest?

     *truth be told, I'm not certain of Baby Willy’s gender,
    it’s an assumption I'm making based on personal experience.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa @bakebikeblog says

      October 10, 2013 at 9:07 am

      ooooh love these little bars!!!!
      and karam is indeed a bitch mr bird!

      Reply
    2. Heather Gauci says

      October 10, 2013 at 6:14 pm

      Would love to try these bars any chance of converting them to Thermomix recipe

      Reply
    3. Lydia C. Lee says

      October 11, 2013 at 5:57 am

      I love the sound of those. I don't think my human kids will feed themselves - or if they do, they leave plates in rooms that no eating should occur. Lose-lose in this house!

      Reply
    4. Zanni Louise says

      October 11, 2013 at 9:22 am

      My daughter has been haranguing me to make museli bars, and I fail every time! I am going to try this. x

      Reply
    5. Nat @ Natalia Familia says

      October 11, 2013 at 10:31 am

      He he, karma is a bitch! I love it. Sounds like a great recipe too, I'll be looking out for rice malt syrup at my health food shop, so I can give this one a go. Thanks for the post. xx

      Reply
    6. Leanne Winter says

      October 11, 2013 at 10:44 am

      Oh "a cup of tea and a good lie down" guaranteed to fix whatever ails you. The nutbars sound yummy and mummy wagtail has my sympathy.

      Reply
    7. Kaz @ Melting Moments says

      October 11, 2013 at 2:21 pm

      Oh yum! These bar look sensational!
      As for Little Willy, time to get off your butt bird!

      Reply
    8. Lisa@RandomActsOfZen says

      October 11, 2013 at 3:16 pm

      Yum Amanda, these look gooood! Poor mummy Wagtail, we have a magpie family the same here. And yes, they're obviously boys 😉

      Reply
    9. Leanne @ Deep Fried Fruit says

      October 11, 2013 at 5:33 pm

      How cool are those wily wagtails. How cool is the name Willy Wagtail!

      Reply
    10. Shelley @ Money Mummy says

      October 11, 2013 at 8:59 pm

      Yummmmm - those muesli bars are definitely going on my must make list! They look delicious!

      Reply
    11. This Charming Mum says

      October 12, 2013 at 9:42 pm

      Yum, they look lovely - the bars that is. And the birds. How gorgeous!

      Reply
    12. Sonia Life Love Hiccups says

      October 13, 2013 at 10:07 am

      Thos bars do look incredibly tempting and I can imagine myself feeling very virtuous after baking them and packing them in the kids lunchboxes. Oh OK I am going to do it - TODAY! 🙂 xx

      Reply
    13. Have a laugh on me says

      October 13, 2013 at 8:45 pm

      What a great imagination you have lovely! I do feel sorry for the mumma bird though 🙁 Willy wagtails are my fav bird over here, I love the way they sway!! xx

      Reply
    14. Mystery Case (@msmysterycase) says

      October 14, 2013 at 6:40 am

      That is so funny with your baby bird. I'm going to have to make those bars for my girls they look delicious.

      Reply
      • Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says

        October 15, 2013 at 4:37 pm

        Hope your girls like them. They're a hit here!

        Reply
    15. Sydney, Kids, Food + Travel says

      October 14, 2013 at 7:41 am

      These nut bars look terrific, and such a lovely story and observation on these birds. I feel I'v just sucked in a great big lungful of country air here in the Sydney suburbs. Ta!

      Reply
      • Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says

        October 15, 2013 at 4:36 pm

        You wouldn't have wanted a lungful of what we were breathing here last week Seana! 🙂

        Reply
    16. Sarah | The Sugar Hit says

      October 16, 2013 at 2:52 pm

      Sugar free is such a great way to cook - it really encourages creativity, to get that delicious flavour from some other ingredient. These look great.

      Reply
      • Amanda, Cooker and a Looker says

        October 18, 2013 at 3:50 pm

        I agree Sarah. I'm in LOVE with rice malt syrup now I've discovered it. 🙂

        Reply

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