Adventure Bars

These Adventure Bars taste just like a homemade Lara Bar- full of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds. Gluten and grain free, these are loaded with protein and only natural sugars.

I have a major love affair with any kind of protein laden power balls. And bites. And bars. I don’t discriminate by name, size, or shape! I make some sort of bite, ball, or bar a few times a month. They’re the perfect on the go snack when you need something quick and not too heavy. I’ll eat on my way to workout, during a tennis match, and I always have a little something packed in my pocket when I’m hiking with the dogs.

There are SO many protein bars on the market you might be wondering why make them?! First, I like to portion my protein “snacks” a litter smaller than traditional store bought. Secondly, it’s so much cheaper. And lastly, I can control the ingredients and customize my snacks to make them just how I want them!!

A few months ago, I received the cookbook, Simple Green Meals by Jen Hansard. She writes the wildly popular blog, Simple Green Smoothies. The blog and her latest cookbook are loaded with plant powered recipes for anytime of the day. The cookbook is loaded with gorgeous recipes that are simple, uncomplicated, and delicious. I’ve made the Thai Lettuce Wraps (awesome for meal prep!) and the Cauliflower Buffalo Wings that we stuffed into a corn tortilla for taco night. Both were awesome!

The actual cookbook is GORGEOUS. The photos are sooooo beautiful. Every recipe has a photo- as it should be- and I’ve tabbed at least a dozen recipes to try! The book is set up pretty traditionally- snacks, breakfast, snacks, sides, mains, and desserts. This would also be a great resource if you like to cook seasonally. So many recipes that highlight produce throughout the year.

Of course, the recipe I choose to share was Jen’s Adventure Bars. These nuggets of love are right up my alley. Chocked full of nuts, seeds, good fat, and natural sugars. The recipes calls for almond butter but I used peanut butter as that’s all I had on hand. The versatility of this recipe is awesome! You could easily swap the cherries for raisins or dried cranberries, or add a bit of cocoa nibs or chocolate chips. I will say that I did add just a tiny pinch of kosher salt that the recipe doesn’t call for. It balanced out the sweetness.

The recipe calls for wrapping them individually in parchment- which you totally could- but I just put them in an airtight glass container and stored them in the freezer. Perfect for school lunches, a mid afternoon snack, and I ate them mid tennis match for a week straight! They’re great fuel!!

photos by Kellie Hatcher/recipe by Simple Green Mills

Adventure Bars aka Homemade Lara Bars

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• Author: Kelley

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Description

A vegan, no-bake adventure bar loaded with protein and natural sugars!

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Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup unsweetend shredded coconut
• 1 cup medjool does, pitted
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
• 4 tablespoons chia seeds
• 4 tablespoons hemp hearts
• 1/2 cup creamy almond butter

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Instructions

1. In a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, combine the cashews and coconut and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
2. Place the dates in the food processor. Pulse a few times, then process the dates until they have turned into a paste. Add the apricots and cherries and pulse a few times. Return the cashew mixture the fruit, along with the chia seeds, hemp hearts, and almond butter. Process until ingredients are well combined- neither too dry nor too sticky- and hold together nicely when pressed.
3. Lay a piece of parchment paper on a clean, flat surface and return the mixture out onto it. Press the mixture together and form into an 8-inch square that is a little thicker than 1/4 inch. Place in the fridge or freezer to firm up before cutting into 8 bars.
4. Wrap the bars individually in parchment paper. They will keep for several weeks in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

Notes

I used peanut butter in lieu of the almond butter. I didn’t wrap the bars individually rather I stored them in air tight glass container in the freezer.