Ever looked at the ingredients on packets of store bought muesli bars? Always a list of added nasties ranging from sugar, preservatives, emulsifiers, unhealthy oils and unhealthy salts. Even the oats, nuts and seeds being used have freshness and origins that would be questionable. Of course you can find ones that are better than others, but often you pay a lot more for those.

At Rider, we believe you don’t have to compromise on your health and wellbeing even if you are short on time or are sticking with a budget. This muesli bar recipe is not only quick and simple to make (no more than 10 minutes plus baking time) but it’s super versatile too. You can use whatever ingredients you have on hand or change up the seeds, nuts, fruits each week to change up the flavour. You can even add choc drops or drizzle melted chocolate on top to really make a treat out of them. Not only will you know where the ingredients came from, but you’ll know there are no hidden nasties when you or your loved ones gobble them up. They’re also easy to adapt for GF, vegan or to make them nut free too, so all diets can be catered for without having to compromise on what matters most to you.

INGREDIENTS
1.5 cup rolled oats 
(we used our organic gluten tested oats to make it a GF bar - more tips below)
1 cup dried fruit - use what dried fruit you have on hand, these bars have organic sultanas and organic incaberries
1 cup mixed seeds and/or chopped nuts (we made these with sunflower seeds, organic pepitas, organic hemp seeds and organic golden linseeds)
½ cup local honey
½ cup olive oil 

METHOD
Pre-heat oven to 180C. Gently heat oil and honey in saucepan. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, then pour the warmed sweetened oil over and mix well. Flatten into a lined slice tray. Compact the muesli down firmly otherwise you'll end up with crumbly bars. Bake for 15-20 min until golden. Cool completely before slicing into bars.

TIPS & SUBSTITUTIONS
- you can also use quinoa flakes, puffed rice or other cereals as the base to your muesli bars, or combine a few to make up your 1.5 cups of base cereal

- use whatever dried fruit you have, or you can sub for choc drops or a combination of both. You could also use ½ cup of dried fruit if you prefer a bar that is less sweet. We think simple is better, so try and keep it to 1 or 2 fruits, plus that way you can change the flavour of your bars from week to week dried apricots one week, then fig the next, cranberries the next, etc

- we love using honey as our sweetener however you can sub with your preferred one - maple syrup, brown rice syrup or coconut nectar also make them vegan

- you can use whatever healthy oil you have on hand. Some suggestions: organic coconut oil, organic cold pressed sesame oil or high oleic sunflower oil