Eating real and minimally processed foods can be tough. Especially while on the go. I’ve found a lot of good options for real food bars to keep on me in case of emergency (incase you didn’t know – dietitians are wired to eat every 3 hours). Unfortunately a lot of these bars can be expensive when bought in bulk.
I’ve been playing around with some recipes and found this recipe to be the easiest to make and the most palatable. With only a few real food ingredients you know exactly what is entering your body.
Although nuts like the cashews and almonds found in this recipe are very energy dense – they contain tons of fiber, disease fighting vitamins and minerals, and heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids that reduce the bad LDL cholesterol and raise the good HDL cholesterol. This recipe does have coconut oil (only 1 tsp) which contains high amounts of saturated fat. It’s ok in moderation but not for everyday cooking and baking – stick to olive or vegetable oil instead. The dates contribute to the sweetness of the bar and contain fiber, A and B vitamins and are loaded with potassium – one of our body’s key electrolytes.
In case you don’t want to make them yourself, there are still plenty of real food bars out there that I would recommend. RxBar, Lara Bar, Kind Bar, and Thunderbird Bars are all good options if you’re looking for something with recognizable ingredients. OR if you want to do one better, measure 1/4 cup of cashews and 2 dates – you’ll have yourself a quick, on-the go snack!
Enjoy!
– Carly