Healthy CLIF bars

Growing up, one of my favorite packaged "health" foods were CLIF bars. They are chewy, great-tasting and include many organic food products- or so I thought.

However, they are NOT clean and include many hidden GMOs such as soy protein isolate and soy lecithin. So, I took the initiative to try to create my own recipe since I need a fiber-filled snack at hand at all times while nursing my newborn daughter.

I am still working on perfecting this recipe, (and finding a substitute for the soy rice crisps) but for now they were made with dates, oats, coconut, almonds, ground flax seeds, peanut butter and maple syrup. They tasted very much like the CLIF bars I have been craving but without any of the additives and GMOs!

I hope you will enjoy these too. 

1 cup pitted dates
1 cup uncooked oats (gluten free if you need it)
3 Tbsp grounded flax seeds
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup almonds
¼ cup maple syrup Grade B
2 Tbsp coconut palm sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ chocolate chips (optional)

1) In a food processor, blend oats and almonds until grounded. Then add coconut, flaxseed and dates and pulse until well blended.
2) In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat maple syrup and coconut sugar until melted and boiling point. Quickly reduce heat and add peanut butter and vanilla and blend until thoroughly mixed.
3) In a large bowl, add the oats mixture. Add wet mix to oats mixture and blend. Once cooled, carefully add chocolate chips and mix with hands.
4) In between two parchment papers, flatten with a rolling pin and cut into squares. Wrap into waxed parchment paper.

Keep in your fridge and try not to eat them all!

Chantal Jura is a holistic nutritionist student that believes passionately that we can help prevent and treat disease with whole, clean, high-quality, minimally processed foods. After working over 7 years in marketing & public relations across Canada and the U.S., she was inspired to return to her first initial love- nutrition. She believes that our nutritional goals in life should not be to get thin quickly, or to succumb to emotional eating, but to eat a balanced diet based on our individual needs and have it become a lifestyle. Chantal likes to address digestion, balance, and moderation for each individual and their needs. As a current student at the Edison Institute of Nutrition, Chantal is committed to working toward the expertise and mastery of holistic nutrition to one day soon be able to practice and help others attain their optimal health. Additionally, Chantal holds a B.A. in French Studies from California State University, Long Beach. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Chantal currently lives in Quebec City in Canada with her family. You can also follow her posts on her Facebook page: Sexy Turnip Health and Nutrition