I’m a bar addict. I know that so many people say no, grab whole foods, don’t count on bars. BUT sometimes you are truly on-the-go and you need a healthy option — something that is dense and filling with a balance of both nutty and sweet. It is true that most bars on the market contain FAR too much sugar and not enough fat and substance to actually keep you satisfied.

Store-bought bars are anywhere from $1.50-$4 a bar! These will save you some cash and you can’t beat their freshness. They are also friendly to vegan folks since they utilize plant-based protein (and they also happen to be gluten, dairy, and refined-sugar free as well!)

Also, if I may say so myself — you feel quite impressive when you see a stack of wrapped bars and know you made them yourself! I get the kids involved, they love to wrap them in a pretty bow. These make a beautiful lunchbox addition (if your school allows nuts).

Another reason I wanted to post this recipe now is because the holidays are upon us…we are quite busy and headed to and fro, and this often means all new food coming our way. When I know I have some upcoming travel dates, I like to load my body up with wholesome foods so that it can lessen the blow of exposure to things my body is not as used to — like my Grandmother’s buttery, gluten-induced, amazing bread OR my mom’s Mexican Coffee Cake. I want to enjoy these things and it’s so much easier for me to do that when I know I’ve eaten healthy meals majority of the time. This is the beauty of an 80/20 lifestyle or even a 90/10 — there is wiggle room there!

So pack these up – gift them out even! If I carry these on-the-go, I like to put mine in a Stasher Bag with a little ice pack because I personally like them cool. 🙂

DifficultyBeginner

Yields1 Serving

⅓ cup almond butter

1 cup cashews

½ cup pitted dates (I like medjool)

¼ tsp nutmeg

3 tbsp vegan protein powder (I used Welleco Protein, Vanilla)

1.50 tbsp coconut oil

1. Combine the dates, cashews, and coconut oil in a food processor and pulse until they are each finely ground. Do not overmix or the cashew will turn into butter! You just want it to look like ground up seashells (weird analogy?!)

2. Add in the rest of the ingredients and pulse to combine them. You will see flecks of the ingredients in the mix and that's how we want it to be!

3. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper. I take one sheet, rip it in half, and make a cross shape in the dish. So I can lift from all sides, without any folds.

4. Take the mix and press it into all corners of the pan until flat across.

5. Set it in the fridge until it has "set" -- about 30min to an hour.

6. Using the overhanging edges of the parchment paper, lift the bars and parchment out of the dish.

7. Cut into rectangles and store in an air tight glass dish in the fridge! You can also repurpose the parchment paper as I've done in these above photos by wrapping the bars individually for a little extra special touch!

Ingredients