POWER BARS

I always love snacking after lunch and these power bars keep me going through out my afternoons. The whole family loves them. You can have your nuts and seeds finely ground or left whole, it's up to you, either way these are the bomb! I like to grind up our nuts and seeds in our nutribullet before adding them to teh bars so our 1 year old can chow down too. Bring them to go and eat in the car, for school, work and play! I gave this recipe to our wonderful new neighbours and they have made them three times already! Power bars for the win. Enjoy!

Power Bars

These bars are our family’s favourite snack and have been loved and adored but all our family and friends who consume them. We love to share.

Makes 16 bars

Wet

• 1 cup cashew butter, almond butter or any other nut butter
• 3/4 cup unpasteurized honey (I always use Big D's Bees local honey) or clear unpasteurized agave nectar
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Dry

• 2 cups quick oats
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. hemp hearts (seeds)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raw nuts, ground (I used pecans and walnuts)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• a handful cacao nibs or dark chocolate chips (optional)
• 1/4 cup dehydrated sprouted buckwheat (optional)
• pinch of celtic sea salt, ground

1. Heat a large pan on low heat. Add nut butter, honey, vanilla, and maple syrup to the pan and stir well. Take off heat.

2. Blend or process raw nuts, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Add dry ingredients to a bowl and stir. Add wet ingredients and stir. Mixture should be thick. 

3. Line a 9 x 13 rectangular lasagna dish with parchment paper (this step is a must). Scoop out mixture into the lasagna dish. Use the back of a spoon or silicone spatula to flatten out evenly. Sprinkle on cacao nibs/chocolate chips. Press into bars. Cover with saran wrap and freeze for 2 hours until firm. Take the dish out of the freezer, grab parchment paper and lift bars out of the dish. Cut down the center, then into 4, then into 8, then into 16 equal sized bars.

4. Store in freezer in an airtight Ziploc bag until they are all eaten up! These bars will become soft within 10 minutes if left out. 

Nutritional Info: 

Nut butters are high in the minerals magnesium, phosphorus, manganese, calcium, iron and potassium. Vitamins include riboflavin and folate, and has a good amount of fiber. They are a healthy fat.

Pumpkin seeds are a healthy fat. High in Vitamin K and is high in the minerals iron, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese and is very high in protein and fiber

Sunflower seeds are a healthy fat. high in Protein and fiber. They are rich in the vitamins thiamin, Vitamin E, niacin, vitamin B6, folate and the minerals magnesium, phosphorus, copper, manganese and selenium. They have medium levels of iron and potassium.

Oats are a healthy carb. They have the vitamins pantothenic acid and  thiamine. They are a great source of fiber. They are a small but good source of protein as well. They are rich in the minerals manganese, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron and potassium.

Cacao nibs are the true form of chocolate chips. They have vitamin K and are an excellent source of fiber. They are considered a healthy fat. It is a good source of iron, manganese, magnesium, copper and phosphorus. It is low in cholesterol and sodium. 

Chia seeds are high in phosphorus, manganese and calcium. They are very very high in fiber and produce energy for the body that is helpful when exercising. They are also a good source of protein.

Hemp hearts are full of protein and omega 3 fatty acids. They are high in the minerals iron, magnesium and zinc. 

Unpasteurized honey is sodium-free, cholesterol-free and fat-free. Raw honey is an effective carbohydrate that boosts endurance during exercising. Honey's vitamins include Vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid. It's minerals are calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.