Don’t be “hangry” have a raw bar!

Everyone needs a healthy bar to eat. Sometimes when I get hangry (usually when I find myself hungry and in a crowded grocery store) all I want is to find a bar and shred it open with my teeth. I often find myself crawling around, dragging my body through the isle, gnawing on people’s legs. The only thing I want is a healthy, low sugar bar just to be sane again.

When I find what I’m looking for I throw everything off the shelf, roll around on the floor and quickly grab the bar I want. Then I tear it open and chow down like I haven’t eaten in years. Stuffing my face causing me to look like a rabid chipmunk. When I get to the checkout I calmly hand the lady the empty torn apart wrapper, mumbling random apologies.

Hangry, is a real problem. Don’t be THAT person (me), when you find yourself crashing. Gnawing on people’s legs does not give your stomach the satisfaction it needs. Infact even the bars you knock off the shelves in the grocery store, don’t give you the satisfaction or nourishment. Yes, there are a few bars out there that are “healthy”, no added junk and minimal ingredients. I will grab one at the store when I’m bad and don’t eat during the day to prolong me until I get home to cook a decent meal. But they are still fairly high in sugar. It may minimize the hangry effects but it can spike up your insulin levels, causing you to become fatigued later in the day. No one wants that.

So I’ve come up with a solution! Make homemade sprouted raw bars. It’s quick, easy and ever so satisfying. I seriously “tasted” the batter too many times that I’m no longer hangry, I’m a beached whale. Muay Thai tonight will fix that right up!

I made two different kinds of raw bars. Mint Chocolate and what I like to call “Carrot Cake mashed into a bar”.

I seriously LOVE carrot cake. I love it in an unhealthy; you shouldn’t eat that much kind of way. Normally I try to pass on any kind of carrot cake given to me because of my complete and total lack of self-control once I take a bite. I made myself sick once off of a raw gluten free carrot cake I made for my birthday earlier this year. Had one bite and ended up sitting on the kitchen floor, cake in lap, until the plate was empty. I tell you it’s ridiculous. A shameful lack of self-control that I continue to work on.  In my head I tell myself “Emma, you are going to make yourself sick if you keep eating this!” But it doesn’t help. I just keep rationalizing, “one more bite” until it’s all gone. Please tell me you have some type of weakness like this over something?

In the end, I avoid the foods that cause me to over indulge and have no self-control. Which is a pretty long, decent list…

I thought if I made a healthy raw bar that tasted like carrot cake, I could handle it. I only allowed myself to taste the batter a few dozen times, and eat one bar. Then I quickly wrapped them up and gave them to people before they all ended up in my belly. That’s a good way to handle it, right?

Anyway, you honestly don’t need to eat more than one. They are very satisfying and filling and tasty and delectable and scrumptious and mouthwatering and oh so delicious heaven in your mouth GOOD…

Enough with that, here are the recipes!

INGREDIENTS:  For the Carrot Cake Bars – makes about 8 small thin bars 

• 1/2 cup organic raw sprouted almonds
• 1/4 cup organic raw sprouted walnuts
• 1 tablespoon organic hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup organic sprouted gluten free oat flour (or oats)
• 1 cup organic dates, pitted
• 1 tablespoon organic unrefined coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon organic cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon organic powdered ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon organic nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon organic allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup organic unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup finely grated organic carrot

1. In your food processor, blend together the almonds, walnuts, hemp hearts, oat flour (or oats)  and dates until well combined and no large pieces. (I just turned it on and left the room for bit).
2. Then add coconut oil, all the spices and vanilla extract. Pulse a few times
3. Now add the shredded coconut and grated carrot. A few quick pulses and it should be good.
4. Spread the mixture out on parchment paper and form into a long rectangle. Pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set, then cut into bar shapes!
5. If you have kids you can even use cute cookie cutters that they like. Have them get involved in the fun of baking!

• 1/2 cup organic raw sprouted almonds
• 1/2 cup organic gluten free sprouted oat flour (or oats)
• 1 cup organic dates, pitted
• 2 tablespoon organic cacao powder
• 2 teaspoons organic unrefined coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon organic peppermint oil
• 1/2 cup organic dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS:

1. In your food processor, blend together the almonds, oat flour (or oats), and dates until well blended. (Again I just turned it on and left the room for a bit)
2. Add the cacao powder, coconut oil, and peppermint oil and blend a couple good seconds.
3. Now add the dark chocolate chips and pulse 3 quick times. You want there to still be chunks of chocolate.
4. Spread out on parchment paper and form into a long rectangle.
5. Pop in the fridge for about 30 minutes then cut into bars or fun shapes with your kids.

Enjoy!

A girl who really does have self-control just not over carrot cake,