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Success!

I pack Tom's lunch everyday which is a trial in and of itself because he is picky.  If that wasn't enough, I also have to pack a couple breakfast items.  Tom doesn't eat breakfast, but at 10 AM he is starving.  Thankfully, he likes yogurt.  But I need to pack something substantial with nutrients that isn't loaded with sugar.  Enter the Larabar.  These bars are essentially made from nuts and dates.  They are packed with nutrition. The dates (which are the basic base of the bars) are sweet AND healthy.  A date contains only 23 calories and are loaded with carbs.  They have NO cholesterol, are high in fiber and contain nutrients like Maganese, Copper, Iron, Zinc, Phosphorous, Potassium, Magnesium and Calcium (32 mg per serving!!!).  They contain vitamins such at A1, B1, B2, B3, B5, C.  There are also over 20 different amino acids which our bodies need. What more could you ask for? Larabars come in a variety of flavors.  I've been buying a few to see which ones Tom liked.  The Banana bread was a no-go...even I didn't like it.  I didn't hear any complaints from the Blueberry Muffin Bar or the Cashew Cookie.  Word on the street is that chocolate ones are super yummy.  Larabars are loaded with nutrition, but the price tag is kinda loaded too. At $1.70/each a weekly supply of Larabars can get a little pricey...especially when more than one person is eating them.  So...enter homemade Larabars. A special thank you to Tom's cousin for inspiration.  And, once I did a little poking around on food blogs I quickly found that homemade Larabars are what's trending in the food world (can you believe I used the word "trending?").  Anyway....for my first go 'round I made chocolate ones.  You can't go wrong with chocolate.  I think they are mighty good. My camera is out of battery so I have no pictures of the process.  You can probably imagine what the ingredients looked like in my blender anyway.  If you must have pictures, go here.  This recipe belongs to Tom's cousin, Nicole, who is an expert on all things healthy and homemade.

Larabars
1 Cup Almonds (I think the nut you use can be your choice)
1 1/2 cups Fresh Dates (the only place I found these was Trader Joes)
4 TBSP cocoa powder (I'll let you in on a secret....I didn't have 4 TBSP of cocoa powder left so I substituted in Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate.  That secret ingredient probably added a bit more sweetness.)
A little vanilla
A little sea salt

Blend in blender.  Spread in pan. Cut. Store in little bags in fridge so you can grab and go.

Be creative.  The flavor possibilities are endless.

Comments

Jeremiah and Stephanie said…
Yummy! I'll have to try these sometime soon. I recently made a brownie batter dip that had dates as the base ingredient.
June 2, 2012 at 1:24 PM
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