In my quest to eat healthier, whole foods, I stumbled across this amazing protein bar recipe. Really healthy, really easy and way better than Cliff bars!
Protein Bars
2 cups almonds
1/4 cup flax seeds, chia seeds or pumpkin seeds (ground in a coffee grinder or blender)
½ cup dried prunes, dates or raisins (we used prunes!)
½ cup unsalted peanut butter
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup coconut oil (melted)
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (we used honey!)
2-3 teaspoons vanilla extract
a few squares dark chocolate, less than half a bar needed for thin layer (optional) – I melted 4 squares of semi-sweet chocolate in a small saucepan for the topping and sprinkled a couple tablespoons of shredded, unsweetened coconut
Place all ingredients except chocolate in food processor. Pulse briefly for about 10 seconds until ingredients form a coarse paste. Press mixture into an 8 x 8 glass baking dish. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, until mixture hardens. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate over very low heat, stirring continuously, add coconut. Spread melted chocolate over bars; return to refrigerator for 30 minutes, until chocolate hardens. Remove from refrigerator, cut into bars and serve. Makes about 12-15 bars. Store in refrigerator or freeze for later enjoyment!
Organic Matters 