Coconut Cream Larabars

If you know me at all, then you know that I absolutely LOVE granola / snack bars.  I spent several years eating a chocolate and oats Fiber One bar with my lunch each day.  And those chewy chocolate chip granola bars......YUMMY!  These types of bars were the toughest thing for me to give up when I started more of a clean eating lifestyle.  I occasionally bought a box for my daughter's and have found that I end up eating a lot of them, so, I simply don't buy them anymore! 

After doing some research, I have found Larabars to be a good alternative.   They are not packed with artificial ingredients and actually, are made from very few ingredients.  They aren't something that I eat ALL the time (and I haven't eaten them since doing the 21 Day Fix), but I found a great homemade recipe that I resorted to several months ago, Peanut Butter Cookie Larabars.

A challenger of mine introduced me to a new website: www.mywholefoodlife.com.  I've been spending some time going through the recipes, finding new ones I'd like to try, and came across this one.  I gave it a try the other day and all I can say is....OH MY GOODNESS!  Delicious doesn't even describe them!  I did not make any changes to the original recipe and would not plan to in the future.  

So I have to admit, between me and my daughters, the bars are already gone.  So, lesson learned.  When I make these again, I need to make a conscious effort to limited myself to one serving.  While they do contain a complex carb (dates) and protein (nuts) they are considered a pretty healthy snack; however they are pretty loaded with healthy fats and natural sugar, so eating more than you should could hinder your progress.  

When making these types of things, my ending product never turns out as pretty as it is suppose to, so I had to borrow the picture from the website :) 

15 Medjool Dates
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup cashews
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 T coconut oil
2 T water

Mix the almonds, coconut and cashews in the food processor until fine. Then add the dates, oil and water and pulse until a dough forms. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper leaving enough room for some to come out the sides. That way, the bars will be easy to remove and cut with a pizza cutter. Press down the down so that it is packed well and place in the fridge to set. It will take an hour or two. Slice and eat. These should keep in the fridge for a couple weeks.