Prepper recipes: How to make long-lasting lemon energy bars
By zoeysky // 2021-08-13
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As a prepper, it's not enough to have a stockpile full of food. Before SHTF, you also need to learn and practice different recipes that you can make using supplies from your stockpile. One such recipe is this one for long-lasting lemon energy bars. When disaster strikes, you can use these energy bars to keep up your energy. (h/t to AskAPrepper.com) The recipe below only requires seven ingredients that you may already have in your pantry. These energy bars are easy to make and dehydrate for long-term storage.

Long-lasting energy bar recipe

This recipe combines lemon-flavored jello with fiber-rich whole oats, flaxseeds and honey to make tasty energy bars full of protein and nutrients. Ingredients:
  • 2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 2 cups powdered milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup flaxseeds
  • 1 3-oz. package of lemon jello unprepared (or any flavor of your choice)
  • 3 Tablespoons honey
  • 3 Tablespoons water (add more for mixing)
Preparation:
  1. Preheat the oven to 200 F.
  2. In a large bowl, add the flaxseeds, oats, powdered milk and sugar. Stir until everything is combined, then set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan, add the jello dry mix, three tablespoons of honey and three tablespoons of water. Note that you won't be preparing the jello according to the package directions, so you don't need to prepare it beforehand.
  4. Turn the heat to medium-low, then bring the mixture to a rolling boil as you stir constantly. Let the jello boil for one full minute before removing it from the heat.
  5. Pour the hot jello mixture into the bowl with the oats and flaxseed mixture. Let the hot jello cool slightly before mixing with your hands to check that all of the dry mixture is moist enough.
  6. If the mixture is too dry, gradually add a tablespoon of water until it's moist enough, but mix the dough again after each tablespoon. Make sure the mixture isn't too wet because the bars won't have as long a shelf life.
  7. If the oat mixture maintains its shape when you squeeze it in your hands, it's ready.
  8. Line a 9×12 baking dish with parchment paper or foil. Use a measuring cup to press the bars firmly into the lined baking dish.
  9. Use a sharp knife to cut the bars out before baking. Run the knife through the pressed oat mixture and cut all the way through. This will help prevent crumbling later since the bars will dehydrate in the oven.
  10. Place the bars in a preheated oven and bake for one and a half to two hours or until very dry and crisp. The low oven should dry out the bars.
  11. Once done, remove the bars from the oven and set them aside to cool. Store the bars in an airtight container, Mylar bag, or a vacuum-sealed bag. The bars should last one year.
Eat the energy bars whenever you need a quick energy boost.

How to store the energy bars

Since the bars dried out in the oven, most of the moisture is removed from the dough. This is a good thing because this means there's less of a chance that bacteria will contaminate the bars during storage. Store the bars in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. For an extra layer of protection, store the energy bars in a Ziploc or Mylar bag, seal it and place the bag inside an airtight container. (Related: Prepper recipes: How to make survival energy bars.) If you want to use Mylar bags, get some quart-sized Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. Store the bars three-fourths of the way full with one CC oxygen absorber then seal well. Label each bag that you seal with the recipe name and date of the seal. If you have the equipment, vacuum-seal the bars and label them for your food stockpile. You can seal the bars and cut them into individual portions so that you don't have to reopen a sealed bag. While the recipe uses lemon jello, you can use other flavors if you want to. Just don't use pudding, which will mess up the consistency of the energy bars.

Other healthy ingredients to try

Here are other healthy ingredients you can use to make the energy bars:
  • Almonds
  • Cinnamon
  • Chia seeds
  • Cranberries
  • Dark chocolate
  • Dried fruit (Use very dry, crisp fruit like freeze-fried apples, bananas, blueberries, or strawberries.)
  • Poppy seeds
  • Raisins
  • Quinoa
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Walnuts
  • Wheat germ
When SHTF, getting creative with your food supply is a great way to boost everyone's appetite and prevent food fatigue. Try new recipes using ingredients in your stockpile to make sure nothing goes to waste in a long-term disaster scenario. Visit FoodSupply.news for more recipes that you can try using the ingredients in your survival stockpile. Sources include: AskAPrepper.com TasteOfHome.com EatThis.com
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