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Sunday, May 15, 2011

no bake energy bars - aka vegan high raw energy bars

ha. vegan. high raw. you all know i'm neither.

but these energy bars are both. and they are AMAZING. i've been eating close to 1 a day for months and i'm completely hooked. they are so good and soooooo easy. just dump everything in a bowl. mix. freeze. don't bake. eat. yum.

i found the recipe at love veggies and yoga. averie's site is great and she makes all sorts of fun vegetarian creations. check it out if you have a minute!

i could still never be a vegetarian. i love me a good burger. speaking of burgers... have you tried the animal style burger at in-n-out burger? truly life changing. and make it a double. i've discovered i just don't like in-n-out as much without 2 patties.

no bake peanut butter energy bars
about 15 bars
from love veggies and yoga



1 ripe banana, mashed
2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
just short of 1/2 cup agave nectar or honey (or even maple syrup)
1/2 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
just short of 1/2 cup raisins, craisins, date chunks (any dried fruit, really)
1/4-1/3 cup chopped nuts (whatever you like!)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

optional ingredients:
2 tablespoons milled flax seed
2-4 scoops protein powder (no go for me - the soy makes me itchy...)

the above measurements are not exact - adjust according to what you have and like. it will all stick together in the end.

throw all ingredients in a bowl. mix well. press into a wax paper-lined baking dish (i use one smaller than 13x9 but bigger than 8x8. use what you have!). freeze for 8ish hours. pull out and cut into bars. store in individual baggies in the freezer.

they soften up pretty quickly after you take them out of the freezer, so eat it pretty quick.

they will store in the freezer for well over a month. not that they'll last that long. :)

healthy cooking on a budget

disclaimer: i don't claim to be an expert on cooking, weight loss or even healthy eating, but i do love to cook, find healthy, taste bud-friendly tricks and most of all, i love to eat!

qualifications: what qualifies me to blog on cooking healthy on a small budget? well, as my husband is still a student, my budget is not what you'd call large. and as for the healthy part, when i was 10 i was diagnosed with pancreatitus - a disease that doesn't effect me much anymore unless i eat food that is too greasy or has too much fat (in which case, well, let's just say i get really sick). this had steered my experience and limited cooking expertise in a health-conscious direction.

please feel free to comment, criticise, rate recipes, try ideas and make requests for future posts!