I read that breakfast cereals are good providers of these three vitamins. I was surprised to find out that the majority of the cereals in our pantry only gave around 33 % of these three nutrients per serving (1 cup). Luckily I discovered that Special K Original cereals (not the other varieties of Special K) provided 100 % of these desired vitamins. The same can be said for a one cup serving of the Total Raisin Bran.
I also found out some fruit bars provide 100 % of these three nutrients per bar. Examples are Target's Market Pantry Apple Cinnamon Fruit Bars and the Strawberry variety. These two kinds of snack bars, however, contain oats as one of their prominent ingredients and I unluckily have shown sensitivity to oat products in the past especially in combination with other foods that cause inflammation. I get flareups in the joints in both my left and right hand middle fingers when this food allergy occurs. So I decided to develop an alternative to these portable snack bars. Something that I can eat when I have no time to gobble either of the two cereals, Special K Original and Total Raisn Bran with milk for breakfast. I wanted either of the two cereals as the main ingredient for this portable snack.
The recipe I present here is a gooey cluster using Total Raisin Bran combined with almond butter that one can top banana slices or other fruit with. The nutritional data rated a serving of this dessert high in almost all the listed vitamins. The drawback is the high amount sugar due to the agave extract or maple syrup that is used. I need this syrup to bind the bran flakes. By the way, maple syrup is recommended by Dr. Weil rather than agave extract. It turns out the latter though low in the glycemic index scale has a large amount of fructose.
I gave the nutritional values of the dessert using agave versus maple syrup below. Maple syrup has less fructose content according to Dr. Weil which is good news but it has higher calories. Despite this, I will go with maple syrup rather agave extract.
Gooey Raisin Bran Almond Butter Clusters on Banana Slices
4 servings
- 2 tbsp almond butter
- 4 tbsp agave extract or maple syrup
- 1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups Total Raisin Bran
- 2 bananas, sliced into round discs
Combine the almond butter, agave extract, and unsweetened cocoa in a bowl and thoroughly mix with a fork till uniformly blended. Add the Total Raisin Bran to the mixture and daintily mix with a spatula till the bran flakes are coated with the almond butter mixture. Place around a tbsp to the banana slices.
It will be gooey but the banana will help you handle the cluster. I kept my banana clusters in a small plastic container and included a little plastic spoon (I borrowed from my granddaughter) to scoop up the mounds for my snack on the go. Of course with handy napkins nearby.
It will be gooey but the banana will help you handle the cluster. I kept my banana clusters in a small plastic container and included a little plastic spoon (I borrowed from my granddaughter) to scoop up the mounds for my snack on the go. Of course with handy napkins nearby.
With agave extract
Amount Per Serving
| ||||||
Calories
190
Calories from Fat
48
| ||||||
% Daily Value*
| ||||||
Total Fat
5.3g
8%
| ||||||
Saturated Fat
0.5g
3%
| ||||||
Cholesterol
0mg
0%
| ||||||
Sodium
121mg
5%
| ||||||
Potassium
437mg
12%
| ||||||
Total Carbohydrates
36.3g
12%
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Dietary Fiber
4.6g
18%
| ||||||
Sugars
16.7g
| ||||||
Protein
4.0g
| ||||||
| ||||||
Nutrition Grade A
| ||||||
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
|
Nutritional Analysis
Good points
- Low in saturated fat
- No cholesterol
- Very high in calcium
- Very high in iron
- Very high in niacin
- Very high in pantothenic acid
- Very high in riboflavin
- Very high in thiamin
- Very high in vitamin B6
- Very high in vitamin B12
- Very high in vitamin E
- Very high in zinc
Bad points
- Very high in sugar
With Maple syrup
| Nutrition Facts | ||||||
Serving Size 115 g
| ||||||
Amount Per Serving
| ||||||
Calories
242
Calories from Fat
48
| ||||||
% Daily Value*
| ||||||
Total Fat
5.3g
8%
| ||||||
Saturated Fat
0.6g
3%
| ||||||
Cholesterol
0mg
0%
| ||||||
Sodium
123mg
5%
| ||||||
Potassium
478mg
14%
| ||||||
Total Carbohydrates
49.7g
17%
| ||||||
Dietary Fiber
4.6g
18%
| ||||||
Sugars
28.6g
| ||||||
Protein
4.0g
| ||||||
| ||||||
Nutrition Grade A
| ||||||
* Based on a 2000 calorie diet
|
Nutritional Analysis
Good points
- Low in saturated fat
- No cholesterol
- Low in sodium
- Very high in calcium
- Very high in iron
- High in manganese
- Very high in niacin
- Very high in pantothenic acid
- Very high in riboflavin
- Very high in thiamin
- Very high in vitamin B6
- Very high in vitamin B12
- Very high in vitamin E
- Very high in zinc
Bad points
- Very high in sugar
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