Trio Bars

I recently discovered this handy little snack and wanted to share it with you.  Trio bars are vegan, gluten free, non-GMO, dairy free, wheat free, and kosher.  They also have seeds, nuts, and dried fruits.  Perfect for keeping in the car or your purse.  If you have a nut allergy, I obviously would not recommend them!

You can order them from Amazon.com in their Subscribe & Save and shipping is free!  

Bliss Balls

My friends Kendrick and Desiree would not be able to stop laughing at this recipe, but that is what they are called on Food Matters!  

Chocolate (cacoa) and Cashew Bliss Balls:
Ingredients:

    1 cup of cashews blended until smooth (or you can cheat and buy cashew butter)
    2 tablespoons of raw honey
    1 tspn vanilla extract
    8 dates (pitted and soaked for at least 4 hours)
    2 tablespoons raw cacao powder
    1 cup of desiccated coconut for coating


Method: Place all the ingredients except for the coconut in a blender and wiz until smooth. With your hands roll the mixture into small balls. Then pour the desiccated coconut onto a chopping board and roll the balls in it to top. Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate until hard.

Sesame Bliss Balls:
I borrowed this recipe from Deepak Chopra’s newsletter. Deepak explains that the sesame bliss balls promote a healthy digestion and purify the body and mind.

Ingredients:

    1 cup toasted sesame seeds
    ½ cup golden raisins or regular raisins
    2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
    2 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    1½ teaspoons ground cardamon
    2½ tablespoons ghee or coconut oil


Method: Place all the ingredients except for the sesame seeds in a blender and wiz until smooth. With your hands roll the mixture into small balls. Then pour the toasted sesame seeds on a chopping board and roll the balls in it to top. Place the balls on a plate and refrigerate until hard.

Quinoa Granola Bars

Ingredients 

1 cup rolled oats

3/4 uncooked quinoa

2/3 cup nuts (almonds, pecans and/or hazelnuts have been tested and approved)

1/3 cup raisins

1/4 cup cranberries

1/3 cup prunes

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

Directions
Yields 12-15
Preheat oven to 160C/325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all ingredients except bananas in a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are finely chopped and stick together. Add mashed banana and pulse again until well incorporated.

Use the prepared baking sheet as surface and fill large cookie cutters with the batter. Gently remove the cutter to keep the bars in shape. Repeat until all batter is used up.
Bake 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Quinoa Protein Bars

This bar is full of superfoods for runners to help fuel the body before a workout and refuel after.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1 large banana, peeled
• 2 pitted dates
• 1 tbsp agave
• 1 scoop of Chocolate Shakeology
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I recommend Enjoy Life Dairy and Nut free mini chips)

Instructions

1. In a food processor, add peanut butter, banana, dates, and agave. Mix until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl add the cooked quinoa and peanut butter mixture together. Add chia seeds and chocolate chips and mix well.
3. Line a 8×8 baking dish with plastic wrap and pour mixture into dish.
4. Spread until evenly distributed
5. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours
6. Then remove from the dish and cut into squares
7. Wrap individually and put back in the freezer until ready to eat

Granola Pumpkin Bars

My mom brought these to our Health and Fitness Club to try out and we all loved them.  You can tweak them with different ingredients like craisins or mini chocolate chips.  Good stuff!  Bake them longer to make them a more crunchy granola.

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats

1 cup walnut pieces

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1 tsp pumpkin pie spices

pinch of salt

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease an 11x7 baking pan.

In a medium bowl, mix oats, walnut pieces, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie spices, and the pinch of salt.

In another bowl, mix pumpkin, applesauce, and maple syrup.  Add them to the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spread mixture evenly into the baking pan.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes until golden brown.  Let cool for 5 minutes and cut into bars using a sharp knife.

No Bake Energy Bites

My bestie found this recipe on Pinterest and we love it.  I tweaked it a little bit, but love it all the same!

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup Natural Peanut Butter, Almond Butter or Hempnut Butter

1/3 cup of Agave

1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup of ground flax

1/2 cup of non dairy mini chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

Mix together in a bowl and chill for a while in the fridge.  Roll into balls and you can refrigerate or freeze them.  Great for after school snacks!

Kashi 7 Grain Breakfast Cereal

I am quite smitten with this product.  I use it like oatmeal or on salads with other seasonings.  It is high in fiber (6 grams per half cup) and very nutrient-dense.  I like to eat this mid-morning after drinking half of whatever green smoothie I have made.  Today I used it in the following way:

1/2 cup cooked Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf

2 T. Organic Natural Peanut Butter

1 packet of stevia

a little bit of So Delicious Coconut Milk to taste

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Sprinkle of ground flax seed

Mix and enjoy!  You can also add chia seeds for additional fiber.  1/2 cup serving is 170 calories.  With peanut butter it is around 360.  Depending on what you add to it, it will probably be around 400 calories so it can be used as a breakfast or a fiber-dense snack.