Did you know January 21st was National Granola Bar Day #NationalGranolaBarDay? I didn’t but if I had I would have picked up Nutri-Grain Granola Bars in Strawberry and Blueberry Nutri-Grain Granola Bars for Charlie because he loves Granola Bars/
I love how Granola Bars make a quick and easy breakfast with a glass of Milk and they can be taken with us. Before you ask what about me I don’t care for Granola Bars although David likes them and eats them a lot with Charlie. How about you? Would you like a Granola Bar with Charlie?
National Granola Bar Day is celebrated every year on January 21st to recognize this wholesome bar of nutrition and energy that has made our breakfast table and rescued us on a hectic workday. Did you know that Granola has been around for over 150 years, and the name was a trademark?
Granola is a globally eaten food with many variations, both in the bar and the loose forms. Granola consists of Whole Grains, Nuts, and Honey, Brown Sugar, or Syrup. This combination is baked until crisp, toasted, and golden brown. Other ingredients sometimes used in making Granola include Raisins, Dates, Chocolate, and Butter.
The first Granola variant, Granula, was invented in 1863 by Dr. James Caleb Jackson. The Doctor ran a health spa, Jackson Sanitarium, which operated on a hillside in Dansville, New York. Jackson made Granula by crumbling Graham Flour and baking it. He later formed Our Home Granula Company to sell the Cereal and trademarked the name Granula.
In the late 1870s, somewhere in Michigan, John Harvey Kellogg formulated a recipe like Jackson’s Granula. Kellogg was also running a sanitarium and was looking to reinvent the Whole Grain diet into something more appealing for his patients.
Kellogg made the Cereal from Wheat and Oat Flour, then hammered it into chunks and soaked the recipe in Milk. Kellog named this Cereal Granula but later changed it to Granola to avoid a lawsuit with Jackson. That makes sense doesn’t it?
A few years later, Granola faded off the scene before it was revived in the 1960s. The revival was made possible by Charles W. Post, who reinvented the original Granula recipe and introduced Grape Nut as an ingredient.
However, other individuals, around the same time, attributed the revival and reinvention to their efforts. One such individual is the renowned hippie Wavy Gravy, who used Granola to feed a large festival attendee. Another such individual is Layton Gentry, the person behind Layton Gentry’s Original Crunchy Granola, which was made using Oats as the main ingredient.
With the growing success of Granola, companies started making their variants and selling them commercially. The first company was Pet Incorporated, which introduced the first major commercial Granola, Heartland Natural Cereal, in 1972.
Quaker Oats Company quickly followed in its Pet Incorporated footsteps by introducing Quaker 100% Natural Granola. But the company had to change it to Harvest Crunch after Gentry threatened a lawsuit. A year later, Kellogg and General Mills introduced Country Morning and Natural Valley, respectively.
The first person to invent Granola Bars basically, Granola in compact form is Stanley Mason. The variant of Granola has become the most dominant and most popular among outdoorsy people and sports enthusiasts.
National Granola Bar Day Activities
- Did you know you can make your own version of Granola Bars and adding a twist to the Granola Bar recipe is quite easy once you get the hang of the essential ingredients and baking instructions. If you don’t know how to make Granola Bars, you can take one of the many online tutorials and try to replicate it. Then have fun experimenting with the recipes.
- If your tired of your homemade Granola Bars and would like to try something fresh? You can check a Supermarket near you for Granola Bars. Some restaurants also serve Granola Bars, and you can search online for the ones nearest to you. Which I would have to do because I’ve never seen Granola Bars in a restaurant. Have you?
- Many people think Granola Bars only come in boxes and cannot be made at home. If your friends are among those people, use National Granola Bar Day to teach them how simple it is to make Granola Bars at home.
Facts About Granola
- The name ‘Granola’ is a trademark owned by the Sanitarium Health Food Company..
- Granola and its first variant, Granula, were registered as trademarks in the U.S.
- Did you know it will cost 10% more to make a Granola Bar at home than to purchase one at a store?
Why People Love National Granola Bar Day
- Granola Bars can be healthy when you go for the right Granola Bar options, you can obtain many health benefits. That includes improved blood pressure and gut health, reduced blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and a rich number of antioxidants. Looks like I need to give Granola Bars a chance. How about you?
- Did you know the North Americans have Granola Bars, the Swiss, Australians, and New Zealanders have Muesli Bars, and the English, Irelanders, and Scottish have Flapjacks. Even the Jewish have matzo Granola, eaten only during the holiday of Passover. If you were #Homeschooling your children like I used to do Charlie you could study the States all the Granola Bars come from and then have your family try each type against ours and vote on which one you like the most.
- Granola Bars are filling if you are having a busy day at work, on the go, or need something that doesn’t require much preparation, Granola Bars should be your go-to meal.
- When it comes to hiking and sporting activities, you want to stock up on as many Granola Bars as you can.
Recipe for Homemade Granola Bars
Ingredients
Original recipe yields 8 servings
- cooking spray
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Directions
- Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Spread oats and coconut evenly across a baking sheet. Toast oats and coconut in the preheated oven until browned, about 10 minutes; transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Mix honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until smooth.
- Pour honey mixture over oats and coconut. Stir to coat. Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the preheated oven until beginning to dry, about 15 minutes for crunchy granola bars, less if you like them chewy.
- Bake in the preheated oven until beginning to dry, about 15 minutes for crunchy granola bars, less if you like them chewy.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
