Blueberry Energy Bars Gluten Free

This recipe will go against the grain (no pun intended for some) as it is higher in sugars than some people want. I don’t do calculations, though!
Numbers are diet mentality triggers, and that’s not my nutritional style!

When we practice eating mindfully, which means integrating foods that work for YOU, we can eat sweet things when they resonate with our overall health. In fact these bars are so delicious, you may crave them on the regular.

As a Holistic Nutritionist, helping people CHOOSE (without JUDGEMENT) between processed and whole foods, is just one of my passions, like cooking and eating. That is why I created my Conscious Cravings Guide for Midlife Women.

Eating means nourishing. Body, bones and soul.

I make bars like these to feed the youngest in my home, whose appetite runs from voracious to picky. I make ALL kinds of food in my home to show the joy of creating and to NORMALIZE ALL FOODS.

I rounded these guys out with seeds, hemp, chia, coconut oil, and some fibrous oats. Add in some spices and you have a cinnamon-y bar, and you can dial back on the sweetness, too.

These bars can be a great pick me up that has fibre, fat and yes, sugar.

You can sub in what you like here: replace 1/2 cup of oats with chopped nuts for more density, protein and healthy fat, or replace the seeds instead of the nuts. You can use all nut butter instead of the coconut oil too. The bars may turn out a little stiffer.

Keep the oats large flake and NOT instant.

Sub in dried cherries, raisins, you get the picture.

Blueberry Energy Bars

Gather

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
(You can also substitute coconut sugar)
1/2 cup nut butter of your choice
(Almond and cashew works well)
Come to think of it, sunflower would be yum too!
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dried, unsweetened blueberries
1 cup hemp hearts (I use Manitoba Harvest)
1/2 cup each: raw sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 tsp cinnamon (ceylon cinnamon preferred)
Pinch of cloves

Do

Prep an 8x 8 pan by lining it with parchment paper or brush with coconut oil.

Combine coconut oil, honey in a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Let boil 1 minute. I add in the nut butter, just to soften it up. Pour the liquid into a stand mixer, or mix by hand, and stir to combine.

Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Pour the dry ingredients into your mixer and combine.

Put into the lined or oiled pan (it may be a bit warm from the stove, so be careful). Use another piece of parchment paper on top of the mixture, your oiled up hands, or a potato masher (my fav) to push the mixture well into the pan. Cram it in there!

Place this into the fridge to cool.

The beauty of parchment is that you can lift the mixture right onto a cutting board, and slice into squares!

I do place these little bites into the freezer, to grab and go. Sometimes, if I overdo it on the nut butter or coconut oil, they fall apart at room temperature, and get gooey. Hmmm, might be nice on some sliced peaches, all gooey like that!

Let me know how you like them, and show me your variations on my social channels! Looking for a community of Conscious Eaters in Midlife? Come join us over on Facebook, or hang out with me on the ‘Gram.

Enjoy,

xo

Tanya