Energy on a budget - If you find your post-Christmas resolve to lead a healthier lifestyle and become more ‘zen’ quickly dissipating as the cold dark days of January seem like they may well last forever, you’re back to binging on processed sugary snacks to get you through the afternoon slump and then experiencing post sugar energy crashes when you get home, try these no bake raw energy bars, oozing with health and vitality to get you feeling positive and back on the health wagon again. Not only are they delicious and easy to make, they will also be considerably cheaper than buying something of similar ilk at your local supermarket, leaving you more money to put in that holiday fund to escape the cruel British winter!
The beauty of these bars is that you can completely adapt them to your tastes and change flavours often so you don’t get bored. Also for added oomph in the health stakes you could add a spoonful or two of chia seeds, coconut or flaxseed if you wanted too.
Ingredients:
1 cup of nuts (e.g. cashew, peanuts, it’s totally up to you)
1 cup of dried fruit (again the choice is yours, perhaps a mixture of berries)
1 cup of pitted dried dates (Medjool would be best if you can get them)
Unbelievably you need nothing else for scrumptious snacks except a food processor, cling film and a sharp knife!
Add all the ingredients into your food processor and pulse a few times to start breaking up the ingredients, if the dates clump together then separate.
Process for 30 seconds until everything has broken down into crumb size pieces. If necessary scrape the bowl to ensure nothing is sticking.
Process again until a ball is formed (about 1-2 minutes). Turn out onto a sheet of clingfilm and press into a thick square. Then wrap and chill overnight.
The next morning unwrap and cut into a bars, wrapping each individually. They will keep in the fridge for several weeks or up to 3 months in the freezer. Most tasty eaten straight from the fridge so if you’re taking them to work then store them in the staffroom fridge until hunger strikes!
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