- 1 cup soaked cashews
- 3/4 cup dried apricots
- 3/4 cup shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp. cacao powder
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips *optional
- 1-2 tbsp. raw honey *optional
I just love when a recipe has only a handful of ingredients that are packed with nutrients and taste great too!! One of the most common questions we get from patients and friends is what protein/breakfast bars are good? Well let me just tell you this, we have searched high and low and everywhere in between to tell you none of them are perfect!
While perfect is over-rated , taste usually takes a back seat when the Doc and I approve the ingredients. Or how about the bars that taste like dry cardboard, that you paid an arm and a leg for and that practically took a tooth out while chomping on it? {Sheesh}!
Over the years we have ordered several companies’ bars and tested them out. Very few pass the clean, tasty, cost effective test. One of the only “snack” bars you can buy that I can comfortably say is clean and tastes great are the Kind Bars! With that said, this recipe is cost effective, taste great, clean, has a nice balance of protein and carbs as well as low in sugar!
I use dried apricots to sweeten this bar as they have less sugar in comparison to the ever so popular date. Using dried apricots I was able to keep the sugar at about 5 grams a bar verses the popular date would have been over 12 grams of sugar! Apricots have a pretty nice health bio, with its rich antioxidant levels of A, C and quercetin, flavonoids and many phytonutrients!
I should mention the Good Doc says that 15 grams of sugar is the max at one sitting to stay in the safe health zone and yes that goes for fruit sugar as well. Many of the popular bars even in the health food store are well over 20 grams of sugar! Don’t get me started on the conventional pseudo breakfast bars that are marketed as healthy. Let us get to the good stuff……..
The other super star in this lineup is my favorite most versatile food, coconut! With all the research on lauric acid in coconut oil to the minerals and electrolytes in coconut water I sure hope you have utilized its amazingness in your diet somehow. I love using coconut oil and low glycemic coconut granules {sugar} in baking, as well as coconut flour as an alternative.
I could go on and on about how the creamy cashew is brilliant with it’s essential magnesium or the cocao powder with its iron rich minerals but I won’t bore you. I just get so fired up with food science I can’t help myself and brag on these nutrient packed foods that we take for granted! So instead I will just say you can eat these DE-LICIOUS bars “Anytime”! ♥
- 1 cup soaked cashews
- ¾ cup dried apricots {about 25)
- ¾ cup shredded coconut
- 2 tbsp. cacao powder
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
- ¼ cup chocolate chips *optional {lily’s stevia sweetened}
- 1-2 tbsp. raw honey *optional
- In a food processor pulse all ingredients, except honey and chips.
- Taste mix and decide if you need honey. Mix till ingredients will stick together.
- Add chips if desired {I sometimes do half the batch}, then pulse gently few times.
- On a cookie sheet with unbleached parchment paper, press dough into a rectangle ½ inch thick.
- Put in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. Or in the freezer for a 10 minutes.
- They will stay fresh for up to 3 days in the fridge.
P.S. If you would like more information about how to soak nuts please read this helpful post.
With a Spoonful of Health,
My love language is feeding and inspiring you to create with real ingredients that nourish rather than rob you of your health. You will find the best of gluten, grain, dairy and soy free recipes as well as raw, paleo, vegan and vegetarian creations on this blog. I also share useful health and nutrition tips that we teach at our Natural Medicine Clinic.
I want to try these too! I’ve been buying Quest bars but they’re probably horrible nutrition wise huh? To be honest, they aren’t worth the money in my opinion. So I’m excited to try these out!!
Question: How much protein do these have or does it really even matter? I’ve read that it doesn’t and I’m not really going for a body building comp so it doesn’t matter but I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Hi Nurse Katie,
I can’t say your name without using “nurse” in front; since that is how I met you with your medicinal doterra oils {breathing in my Balance blend now}! Anyway, when creating the Anytime Bar my goal was to keep the sugar low {5 grams} and not focus so much on high protein. With that said, it does have 3 grams in each bar. If you would like to add more protein for the amino acids etc. {which I often do} you can add 3-4 tbsp of hemp seeds. In just 3 tbsp you will get extra 11 grams of protein. If your looking for another easy and delicious bar with higher protein check out my Sunshine Bars . They use pumpkin seeds, hemp, flax, chia seeds with about 8 grams per bar {if cut into 8}. I usually eat two so 16 grams is amazing for a simple bar like this.
Also, check out my Peanut Butter & Jelly Balls with about 10-15 grams of protein depending how big you make them. To address your protein question, the Doc suggests that we keep a balance with carbs {sugar} and protein. For example, we personally would not eat a bowl of {gluten free} pasta without some protein. Oh and I should mention all these bars/balls have a nice amount of fiber so that helps with keeping us full and the blood sugar in check. Great questions that will help us all.
I knew you’d have some good info for me! You know your stuff! I heard that it’s good to grind hemp seeds to increase absorption…. True?
Btw for sure call me Nurse Kate! Deep down it makes my heart happy. ☺️❤️ And I’m so happy you love Balance. It’s my fav. Everyone needs it in their life.
Hi Nurse Kate! Grinding any seed/nut does help with absorption. However, it is not necessary to grind hemp seed because it is softer than a flax seed; which you must grind to get the benefits. I often just sprinkle them on my toast or yogurt and try to be aware of chewing rather than swallowing; after all digestion does start in the mouth.
Can you give the link on how to soak nuts?
Hi Erinn, I am so sorry the link wasn’t working in the P.S. below recipe to read the post how to soak nuts. I fixed it! Thank you for letting me know. I hope you enjoy and please lmk if you need anything else. Here it is as well. https://spoonfulofhealth.com/benefits-of-soaking-nuts/