take that, craving monster

Over the weeks before and during our move we had lots of help. Family and friends came to the rescue with paintbrushes and shovels, hot meals and strong arms, big hugs and encouraging words. They definitely helped us through the difficult time.

And while it was all going down we had a protein dense snack that got us through long hours of packing, renovating, and moving: homemade larabars. I made batch after batch to keep us going when meals were a distant thought. Many requests for food we met with a plate of these tasty nuggets. Thankfully the kids (mostly) love them. The coconut haters changed their tune, everyone picked favourites, my food processor got a lot of loving.

Oh, and the hanger (hunger induced anger) that certain of us experience was largely avoided, too. We kept our tempers and our wits thanks to the energy punch these babies pack.

For a couple of years now we’ve enjoyed larabars as a quick snack, great when we’re on the go. They are full of good stuff but demanding on the wallet. Dan decided he could whip them up and he was right. I got ahold of the idea and ran with it adding different flavours to his base of cashews and dates.

Peanut butter, cherries, cocoa, and coconut have all come into the mix for one of more of our batches.

I’ve got the original recipe for you today along with my favourite (thus far) variations.

Don’t Flake Out Nut Bars

2/3 cup raw cashews, unsalted

1/3 cup raw almonds

1/2 cup dates, pitted

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut

1-2 Tbsp virgin coconut oil

Pop all these into a food processor and blend, blend, blend. The mixture will begin to hold together after 30 seconds or so. Pulse a few times to make sure you haven’t missed any nut chunks. Shape into a tight log using wax paper and press into a 1/2 inch rectangle. Refrigerate until firm then slice into bars. Alternatively roll into balls – perfect for popping.

Variations:

Cocoa-Nut Bars – add in 3 Tbsps cocoa before blending.

Peanut Butter Balls – omit coconut, add 2-3 Tbsp natural peanut butter, 1/8 tsp sea salt

Cherry Bombs – 1 cup almonds, 1/4 cup dates, 1/4 dried cherries, 2 Tbsp coconut oil

The peanut butter version is to die for. Seriously yummy and you know I’m going to be tossing in some chocolate chips next time for a little choco-peanut crunch.

But my absolute biggest praise for these morsels – my mid-afternoon sugar ache has been appeased. I didn’t think the craving monster could be tamed but these chock-full-o-goodness bars have kicked it to the curb. For reals, people.

You’ve got to try them.

Perfect for growing boys, 3pm sugar calls, and hanger emergencies.

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Do you have a favourite snack when energy lags? Do you crave sweet or is salt your thing? I dare you to put these head to head with your craving monster!