Chef Susan Odell: I'm Chef Susan Odell at foodell.

com. A professional teaching chef and a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu.

Everybody needs a little bit energy now and then, and we're going to make awesome energy bars. They are awesome, because they're really easy to make, they pack a wallop of vitamins, minerals and proteins and they taste really good. Let's get started.

First of all preheat your oven to 350 degrees; our awesome ingredients include of 1 cup of oatmeal, you can use quick cooking old fashioned, I've got 1/4 cup of whole wheat pastry flour to hold everything together, 1/2 of cup of nonfat dry milk powder.

My nuts, I'm going to use some almonds, I've got 1/2 cup of almonds and 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds, and then I've got dried fruit, 1/2 cup of each, I've got cranberries, figs, and nectarines, you could use apricots if you like or change it up, use whatever you want. Just take out whatever pits might be in your fruit.

Now throw all of these ingredients in your food processor, you just want to pulse until everything is finally chopped. Now that all of my fruits and nuts are chopped, I can add the rest of the ingredients. First of all I have got two eggs to help bind everything together.

I have got 6 ounces of semisweet chocolate chips; these are optional, but highly recommended to make them super awesome. I have got 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. I'm going to add some toasted wheat germs, this is 1/2 cup, and usually buy wheat germ raw, so to toast it, just put it in a dry pan on the stove top for about 3 to 5 minutes they will turn brown and start to smell really nutty.

And finally for sweetness I've got a 1/3 of a cup of real maple syrup, you could use honey if you like, it's easier to get out of you cup, if you spray with a little cooking oil before you measure.

Now that all my ingredients are incorporated I'm going to pulse again until everything becomes a fine paste. Everything is nicely ground and it's holding together I still got a few chunks, but I've got a nice paste. You just want to spread this in the bottom of a pan, I've lightly greased my pan with a little bit of cooking spray canola oil. So just scoop it out and spread it out evenly. Use your hands that helps you get it into all of the corners.

Now that it's evenly spread, we're going to bake our awesome energy bars for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. My energy bar has been cooking for 20 minutes and I can tell they're finished, because they're nice and brown around the outside and really firm in the centre.

Now I just like to turn them out of the pan and cut them into serving sizes. They can freeze for up to three months. So put them in the freezer and store them. Take them when you go for hike or bike or pack them for a lunch. They're great for energy on the go. Bon Apptit!