Part V · Sweet
Prep time: 15 mins (plus a 10-minute rest) Bake time: about 20 mins Yield: about 12 squares (one pan)
Dense, chewy fruit-and-grain bars made from eight ingredients, sweetened only with banana and dried apricot and brightened with lemon zest: no sugar, no sweetener, no salt and no baking soda. Almond flour and an egg hold them together, and plenty of Ceylon cinnamon makes them taste like a treat. Pressed into one slab and cut into squares, with no shaping. A square and a hard-boiled egg make a breakfast, and a couple ride well in a backpack as fuel for a long walk.
Written October 2026 on the advice of a VA dietitian, who suggested low-sugar, low-salt desserts such as oatmeal cookies to satisfy a sweet tooth, and suggested stevia and potassium chloride for them. The first batch used both, with raisins and baking soda, and had an odd aftertaste. Batch by batch the recipe lost everything it didn’t need, then went from cookies to one slab, and the third bake found what the flavour lacked: more apricot, more cinnamon, and lemon zest for brightness. Made for the lunch pail, alongside sardines and a shake. First called Sweet Tooth Truce; renamed Ruck Bar by Tony on 24 October 2026, the day he took up rucking, when it had stopped being a dessert and become a fruit-and-grain bar.
Why It Works
- Fruit does the sweetening: One cup of ripe banana gives a mild sweetness and binds the dough; a generous amount of chopped dried apricot adds chewy pockets of sweet-tart flavour.
- Lemon zest and apricot for brightness: Without salt or sugar, oats and olive oil taste flat. Acid fixes that: the zest of half a lemon and the apricots’ tartness lift the whole bar, at no cost in sugar or sodium.
- Oats are the sponge: 1¾ cups of rolled oats soak up the banana, and they bring soluble fibre (beta-glucan, the kind that helps lower LDL).
- Almond flour and an egg hold the slab together, add protein, and keep the fat mostly unsaturated.
- No baking soda: with almost no acid in the dough there is nothing for it to react with, so it only adds a soapy taste, fast browning and spread. Without it the bars are dense and chewy, and nearly sodium-free.
- One slab, not cookies: pressing the dough into one even layer and cutting it after baking takes a minute instead of shaping a dozen cookies, and bakes evenly.
Ingredients
The Wet:
- Ripe Bananas: 1 level cup mashed (about 2 medium). Measure it: extra banana makes a wet bar. Eat any extra as it is, or offer it to the dog plain.
- Egg: 1 large
- Olive Oil: 2 Tbsp (a light-tasting one)
- Ceylon Cinnamon: 4 tsp
- Lemon: the zest of ½ lemon (zest only, no pith)
The Dry:
- Rolled Oats: 1¾ cups
- Almond Flour: ½ cup
The Fold-In:
- Dried Apricots: 20–24 halves, chopped (about ⅔ cup)
Execution Protocol
Phase 1: The Dough
- Line a sheet pan with parchment.
- Mash the bananas and measure out 1 level cup. Whisk in the egg (1), olive oil (2 Tbsp), cinnamon (4 tsp) and lemon zest (½ lemon). They go in first, with the wet: they mix in evenly there and are harder to forget, and the batter should turn tan.
- Stir in the oats (1¾ cups) and almond flour (½ cup).
- Fold in the dried apricots (20–24 halves, chopped).
- Rest the dough 10 minutes, so the oats soak up the moisture.
- While the dough rests, heat the oven to 350°F. Most ovens take about 10 minutes, so it will be ready when the dough is, without heating an empty oven while you mix.
Phase 2: The Bake
- Turn the dough out onto the parchment and press it into an even rectangle about ½ inch thick (roughly 9 × 12 inches), with a damp spatula or your hands. Even thickness means no thin edges to overbake. A lined 9 × 13 pan does the shaping for you.
- Bake about 20 minutes, until the edges are golden and the centre is set and springs back when pressed. Check the centre, not the edges.
- Rest 5–10 minutes on the pan, then cut into 12 squares while warm. Cut too hot and it tears; cut cold and it crumbles.
- For firmer, drier squares, pull them slightly apart on the parchment and return them to the oven for 5 more minutes to dry the cut sides.
- Cool completely before storing. Sealing them warm traps the steam and softens them.
Variations
- A pinch of salt: For a rounder flavour, add ⅛ tsp salt with the dry ingredients (about 25 mg of sodium per square). Potassium chloride salt substitute works too, but measure it: too much tastes bitter, and it is not for anyone on an ACE inhibitor, an ARB or spironolactone without their doctor’s word.
- Sweeter: Add 1–2 Tbsp maple syrup with the wet ingredients, or a little pure monk fruit or stevia extract. Stevia dissolves in water, not oil: whisk it into the banana and egg, never into the olive oil, or it stays in specks. Start with 2 small scoops and taste the dough; it turns bitter if overdone. Avoid erythritol blends, and check that any sweetener contains no xylitol, which is very dangerous for dogs.
- Raisin and apricot: Fold in ½ cup raisins along with the apricots, for a sweeter, chewier bar (about 18 kcal and 4 g of sugar more per square). Raisins are toxic to dogs, so keep this batch, and any raisins dropped while baking, well out of reach.
- Vanilla: 1 tsp vanilla extract with the wet ingredients, for a more classic flavour.
- Lighter and rounder: Add ¼ tsp baking soda with the dry ingredients, measured. The bars rise a little more and brown faster, and each square gains about 26 mg of sodium.
- Peanut butter: Swap the olive oil for 2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (peanuts only, no added sugar or salt).
- Blueberry: Fold in ½ cup blueberries, fresh or frozen, in place of the apricots. Bake 1–2 minutes longer, and expect a softer bar.
- Ginger: Add ½ tsp ground ginger with the cinnamon, for a spicier bar that answers a ginger-chew craving.
- Cookies instead of bars: Drop 11 mounds (about ¼ cup each) about 1 inch apart, press each to ½ inch, and bake 16–18 minutes. Use 2-Tbsp mounds for about 18 smaller cookies, at 13–15 minutes.
- Big batch: Double everything, spread it at the same ½-inch thickness on a full sheet pan (or two 9 × 13 pans), and bake about the same time, checking the centre at 18 minutes.
Meal Profile
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient in the amounts above (the whole batch), then divided by about 12 squares. One serving is 1 square. A value marked † is partial: at least one ingredient has no published value for it, so the true figure is somewhat higher.
The basics
| Whole pan | Per square | Per 1-square serving | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1,617 kcal | 135 kcal | 135 kcal |
| Protein | 42 g | 4 g | 4 g |
| Fat, total | 74.2 g | 6.2 g | 6.2 g |
| Saturated | 9.1 g | 0.8 g | 0.8 g |
| Monounsaturated † | 24.5 g | 2.0 g | 2.0 g |
| Polyunsaturated † | 7.2 g | 0.6 g | 0.6 g |
| Carbohydrate, total | 216 g | 18 g | 18 g |
| Fiber | 35.3 g | 2.9 g | 2.9 g |
| Sugars † | 71.5 g | 6.0 g | 6.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 186 mg | 16 mg | 16 mg |
| Sodium | 91 mg | 8 mg | 8 mg |
| Potassium | 2,744 mg | 229 mg | 229 mg |
| Available carbohydrate (total minus fiber) | 181 g | 15 g | 15 g |
Ratios and shares
- Sodium : potassium: 0.03 (below 1 favours blood pressure; the WHO goal is near 0.6).
- Saturated fat share of energy: 5.1% (guideline: under 10%).
- Protein density: 2.6 g of protein per 100 kcal.
- Omega-3, per serving: 38 mg in total, including EPA + DHA 2 mg (DPA 0 mg, ALA 35 mg). Omega-6 : omega-3 ratio 14.8 : 1.
Fats by type (per serving)
| Fatty acid | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 16:0 palmitic (saturated) † | 478 mg |
| 18:0 stearic (saturated) † | 86 mg |
| 18:1 oleic (monounsaturated) † | 1,987 mg |
| 18:2 linoleic, LA (omega-6) † | 554 mg |
| 20:4 arachidonic, AA (omega-6) † | 8 mg |
| 18:3 alpha-linolenic, ALA (omega-3) † | 35 mg |
| 20:5 EPA (omega-3) † | 0 mg |
| 22:5 DPA (omega-3) † | 0 mg |
| 22:6 DHA (omega-3) † | 2 mg |
Essential amino acids (per serving, against the daily need of a 74 kg / 163 lb adult)
† Partial: amino-acid values cover 72% of the protein here (label-only foods give protein but not its amino acids), so every line is somewhat higher than shown.
| Amino acid | Per serving | Daily need | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Histidine † | 0.06 g | 0.74 g | 9% |
| Isoleucine † | 0.10 g | 1.48 g | 7% |
| Leucine † | 0.18 g | 2.88 g | 6% |
| Lysine † | 0.13 g | 2.21 g | 6% |
| Methionine + cysteine † | 0.11 g | 1.11 g | 10% |
| Phenylalanine + tyrosine † | 0.19 g | 1.84 g | 10% |
| Threonine † | 0.08 g | 1.11 g | 7% |
| Tryptophan † | 0.03 g | 0.30 g | 11% |
| Valine † | 0.13 g | 1.92 g | 7% |
Vitamins and minerals (per serving)
Daily references are the U.S. Dietary Reference Intakes for an adult man (31-50).
| Nutrient | Per serving | Daily reference | Share of the day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitamin A (RAE) † | 19.2 µg | 900 µg | 2% |
| Vitamin D, total | 0.1 µg | 15 µg | 1% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) † | 0.74 mg | 15 mg | 5% |
| Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) † | 2.2 µg | 120 µg | 2% |
| B1 thiamin † | 0.06 mg | 1.2 mg | 5% |
| B2 riboflavin † | 0.06 mg | 1.3 mg | 4% |
| B3 niacin † | 0.44 mg | 16 mg | 3% |
| B5 pantothenic acid † | 0.29 mg | 5 mg | 6% |
| B6 † | 0.10 mg | 1.3 mg | 8% |
| B9 folate, total (DFE) † | 10.2 µg | 400 µg | 3% |
| B12, total † | 0.0 µg | 2.4 µg | 2% |
| Vitamin C † | 1.73 mg | 90 mg | 2% |
| Choline (vitamin-like) † | 19.8 mg | 550 mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 35.0 mg | 1,000 mg | 3% |
| Magnesium † | 24.3 mg | 420 mg | 6% |
| Sodium | 7.59 mg | 2,300 mg (limit) | 0% |
| Potassium | 229 mg | 3,400 mg | 7% |
| Phosphorus † | 65.4 mg | 700 mg | 9% |
| Iron, total | 1.04 mg | 8 mg | 13% |
| Zinc † | 0.55 mg | 11 mg | 5% |
| Copper † | 0.09 mg | 0.9 mg | 10% |
| Manganese † | 0.64 mg | 2.3 mg | 28% |
| Selenium † | 5.0 µg | 55 µg | 9% |
Phytonutrients (per serving)
- Lutein + zeaxanthin: 48 µg †
- Beta-carotene: 148 µg †
- Phytosterols: 8 mg †
- Polyphenols: 1 mg GAE †
Glycemic impact (estimate)
Rolled oats (about 55) and ripe banana (about 50) carry most of the carbohydrate; almond flour, egg and fibre slow it. An estimate; cookies have not been GI-tested. With about 15 g of available carbohydrate per serving, the glycemic load works out to roughly 7–8 (low is 10 or under, high is 20 or over).
Watch-outs
- Sweet, but not sugar-free: the sugar is all from banana and apricot. One square is the serving; have a glass of water with it.
Dog check
Not as written: contains Almond flour (Amazon brand), marked ‘avoid in quantity (rich in fat; nuts upset dogs)’. A small piece is fine for a dog: with no raisins, vanilla or baking soda, almond flour is the only caution, and only in quantity. The lemon zest is too little to matter.
Not counted: the zest of half a lemon (about 1 g; no meaningful calories or sodium). Values are from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), with mercury from FDA monitoring data; see the Master Nutrition & Food Facts workbook for every ingredient.
Notes
- Keeps about 4 days in a sealed container (they have fresh banana and no preservatives), a week in the fridge, and freezes well, separated by parchment. One square from the freezer will thaw in a lunch pail by mid-morning.
- Breakfast: a square and 1–2 hard-boiled eggs come to about 210–280 kcal and 10–16 g of protein. The square alone has only about 4 g.
- They make you thirsty: oats and fibre soak up water. Drink a glass with each.
- For a dog: as written (no raisins, vanilla or baking soda) a small piece is fine; the lemon zest is too little to matter. Almond flour is the only caution, and only in quantity. The raisin variation is not safe for dogs.
Recipe by Tony Seliquini, October 2026, from his VA dietitian’s suggestion. Named by Tony.
Written October 2026 · part of the Recipes collection.