Livnola: Olivias Natural Granola Bars
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2013
I originally started making this as a Facebook post, but then thought, "This is blog-worthy." :)
I went to the Tinley Park Farmers Market, and one of the first stands I saw was LIVNOLA. Olivia, a sweet, pretty girl, had a variety of granola bars that are all homemade and all natural. After I made my way around the rest of the market, I stopped by her stand to learn more.
She has many different recipes, including a gluten-free version, as well as options that are made with sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter, and another that omits nuts completely. She has concocted some great tastes, while thinking of other people's possible allergies.
That day, she was promoting a new recipe that she was experimenting, that contained a dried apple purée. In the past, I remember looking up how to make homemade "Fruit Roll Ups," and that dried purée can take up to 6 hours to dry and soldify. With that said, that one ingredient within her granola bars is a prime example of the care and true goodness that each bar inhabits.
She gave out a sample of this experimental bar, and oh-my-yum it was so good! I bought 2 bars of that, and 2 more bars of her "Surf's Up" recipe, that contains pineapples and mangos.
Most mainstream granola bars that are familiar to us, are full of preservatives, chemicals, or GMOs. And you know what? They aren't really that great. They are a convenient side snack that taste OK, but they don't blow your mind. I usually opt for Nature Valley bars: I keep one in my bag when I travel, or when I have a job where I'm on my feet all day. And their only purpose is to hold me over until I can get something that will actually satisfy me.
Well, I had half of a Livnola bar, about an hour after I woke up. I swear I did not feel hungry again, until about 3 hours later. Wait a second... it tastes awesome, its ingredients are totally healthy, and it sustains me for hours? Screw Nature Valley!
The more and more that I eat "real" food, the more I feel like I have been getting robbed over the years. It's like I haven't LIVED, man!
I definitely want to share this great find with you, and if you get a hold of one of her bars, comment and let me know if you enjoy it as much as I do.
If you live in the SW suburbs of Chicago, and want to pick some up yourself, she posts her schedule on her Facebook,
