Friday Recipe - Lifesaver Snack bars

Need an on-the-go snack that's as easy to make as it is to eat? One hard thing about eating real food is the loss of convenience foods (all those middle-market aisles). When my husband and I go on a trip, whether it's a long road trip, holidays with the family or hiking, we have to carry a LOT of fruit and veggies and nuts to make it. We also keep snack bars when a handful of carrots or grapes just won't do the trick. Homemade snack bars are easy, delicious, and can be customized a million ways to accommodate your particular cravings that day or simply what you have around the house.

The binding for any raw bar is dates and nuts. We typically use almonds, but you can use whatever you like! Put these in a processor until you make a form-able crust. You can even use seeds if you have a nut allergy.

Then you add a little creativity. Do you want a sweet treat? Add some cocoa powder and/or shredded coconut. Fruity? Do you have any raisins or other dried fruit like cranberries or cherries or apricots? If you don't mind the bars being a little gooey, add honey, almond or peanut butter, a banana (although this might reduce the shelf life of the bar), or whatever appeals to you. Or, for a more dry bar, add some rolled oats. You can also add spices like cinnamon, ginger, or nutmeg to inject even more flavor.

You see, the combinations are many and you can add as much or little as you want. Just make sure you have enough dates to bind the ingredients. You can also use prunes or raisins in lieu of dates if you prefer. Play with the volumes to get the desired texture you want for your snack.

When you have created your masterpiece, you can hand-form the mixture and wrap in wax paper and put in a sealed container in the fridge. Particularly for more "gooey" creations, you can line a small baking pan with plastic wrap or wax paper and press the mixture flat across the pan. This can cool in the fridge and you can portion it into squares, bars or bite-size chunks.

How easy and delicious are these? 

Also, if you simply don't have the ingredients on hand or the 10 minutes to throw something together (we've all been there!), I will let you in on my other little secret: Two Moms in the Raw - a great family-owned company started in 2006 in Colorado. I can find these at stores and Starbucks in my area, but if you don't happen to have them near you, order online and keep a secret stash for when you absolutely need a healthy go-to.
Link:
http://www.twomomsintheraw.com/