Chocolate Chip Almond Butter “Larabars”

Happy Monday folks!!!  Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!  I had a great time with my son and some family and managed to get in some time in the kitchen to test out some new recipes.  Yesterday afternoon I came up with these fantastic snack bars that are my version of a Larabar, they taste amazing, like a real treat, but are filled with only nourishing whole foods with no refined sugars, dairy, soy or gluten, they’re vegan, mostly raw and super yum…the best part? They took a off 5 minutes to make and are a great snack to take with you on the go, perhaps for when you start to hit that wall around 3pm and your body is craving some real fuel to keep you going (coffee isn’t fuel!).  These bars are packed with healthy fats, protein & fibre, just what you need keep you focussed and energized.  You could eat it on its own or with a piece of fruit.

Chocolate Chip Almond Butter “Larabars”

1 cup (about 8) medjool dates

3 tbsp raw almond butter (could use roasted as well)

2 tbsp tahini

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup hemp hearts

1/4 cup vegan & gluten free chocolate chips or raw cacao nibs

few dashes of cinnamon

pinch of sea salt

In a food processor or high powered blender, combine dates, almond butter, tahini, cashews, cinnamon and sea salt until all ingredients become a fairly smooth mixture, doesn’t need to be perfect but most of the dates and cashews should be well broken down.  Stir in hemp hearts and chocolate chips/cacao nibs.  You can either make them in bite sized balls or what I did was put mixture in between two pieces of parchment paper and use a wood roller to smooth it out then cut up into small squares/bars.  Store in fridge.

I like to make a batch of snacks like this on a Sunday so that I have an easy to snack to bring with me throughout the week.  Healthy eating doesn’t happen by accident, it does take some prep but it doesn’t have to be crazy time consuming.  Do you have a favourite snack or food that you like to have on hand for throughout a busy work week?

Oh yeah, I just posted a recipe on my Facebook page last night for a delicious red lentil soup, check it out!

Have a fantastic week!

With love.

Kristin xo