If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you know by now that I made a New Years resolution to go sugar and alcohol free for the month of January. I plan to then reintroduce some sugar and wine into my life in small moderation. I will say that 9 days in I have lost 2 pounds, I feel alert and alive and the best part is my skin feels smooth and younger already. 

The first few days were very difficult not for the lack of alcohol which I had assumed I’d have an issue but I missed sugar! Sugar is in everything so I have reduced or eliminated almost all processed foods, but I know sugar is still sneaking in. 

The Nut Butters I used, you could totally search out sugar free versions, these were just in my pantry!

I needed something that was somewhat healthy that would satisfy the sweet tooth every now and then. Also I needed to use up a bunch of dry fruits that I had leftover from my holiday baking and so that is how my energy bar was created. So even though I said I gave up sugar I will admit that this recipe uses nut butters which of course have sugar in them but I did not add additional sugar except in the form of honey. 

I’m trying to get back to a healthy diet of moderation. I believe that this recipe works because its filling, the oatmeal and pumpkin seeds give it weight and the fruit give the sweetness, while the nut butters bind it all together. Best part it’s no-bake! 

Shaun’s Energy Bars

Great way to satisfy a sweet tooth and not feeling guilty.

Ingredients:

1 cup Medjool dates, chopped

1 cup figs, chopped ( I used a mix of Black Mission & Turkish)

2 cups rolled oats, divided

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup chocolate sunflower butter 

1/2 cup coconut flakes

1/2 cup dried cranberries, (I like the fruit juice sweetened variety) 

1/2 cup raisins, I used golden raisins

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

generous pinch of salt

splash of vanilla

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons good honey, (I used raspberry honey)

Great way to satisfy a sweet tooth and not feeling guilty.

Get Started:

Start by spraying a 10×10 or similar size cake pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper and spray again. 

In the bowl of food processor pulse the dates and figs until they start to form a paste. Add in the nut butters and pulse to combine. 

Add 1/2 the oats and the coconut. Pulse to incorporate.

Plop the mixture into a bowl and add the cranberries, raisins, pumpkin seeds and remainder of the oats. Stir the best you can to incorporate.

In a small sauce pan melt the coconut oil, honey and vanilla together. Pour into the mixture and the warmth of the honey mixture will allow you to mix everything together. 

Pour into your prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth out the mixture. 

Place in fridge for 2 or more hours till solid. Remove from pan and cut into bars, I get about 20 bars. 

I found it’s best to store them in an airtight container in the fridge since they get a bit soft at room temp. 

Note: I’m sorry there is no printable version, there is a problem with my site, will try to get it figured out shortly.