OMG these peanut butter bars! 6 squares you see was everything we had left in 2 days. That is all I got to photograph. They were so good, we ate them all, even my 4 year old gobbled them up and 8 year old was away camping. That means 3 of us ate a lot of peanut butter bars.:) All they contain is almonds, oats, peanut butter, coconut flakes and a bit of maple syrup. You can add maple syrup and chocolate chips as much or less as you want. And they are ready so quick and no baking required. So healthy these bars are a snack and not a dessert.
I really have been working hard on myself this year to ignore all noise in my head about calories, exercise, looks and a constant feeling of guilt not doing enough of smth…Too much pressure for no reason. I got way better enjoying myself and my family more. So, yes these bars call for a whole cup of peanut butter, contain no stevia and no protein powder. Just whole foods. I feel like I went through a whole journey finding out my diet and coming back to basics – eating whole foods and moderation is key. And I really do not support ANY of the diets – Whole 30, Paleo, Low Carb, No Yeast, Gluten Free, 21 Day Fix etc. A bunch of rubbish that works only temporarily more likely with health consequences in the future. All marketing, all about money making just like weight loss and pharmaceutical industries. Just saying, do your research before you wreck your health. I have been there and glad I woke up!
So I’m not scared of peanut butter. It is full of healthy fats. I will be lying if I say I love almond butter more. I don’t. It is just OK for me. We love peanut butter. I buy glass jars of organic unsalted peanut butter at a time. My only secret wish is that Alex will get to stir a new jar. Probably almond is more nutritious but honestly does it really matter when we eat mostly plant-based and organic? Like really am I gonna hurt my health?!
Both are nuts and good for us. I won’t lose any sleep over nut butters. Just like I wouldn’t lose any sleep over too much arsenic in brown rice. Come on, can’t eat kale 24/7. I don’t smoke, don’t do drugs, don’t eat junk food. I really should sleep well and I do. Like all these limitations drive me bananas. There is so much noise nowadays and everyone has access to internet writing different stuff. We eat organic and mostly plant-based, end of story. And yes we eat gluten, again in moderation and organic. What is up with all this gluten free craziness?! Reminds me of the low fat fad so much. Just watch, it will be over soon as well. Eat more fruits and veggies and you won’t have to worry about gluten. And an occasional whole wheat biscuit or sprouted grain toast won’t hurt you.
On the note of nutrition, a this week a friend pointed out a blog, Rebel Dietician, of a registered dietician Dana. I think she is my twin sister just with education of a dietitian. So much good info on Clean Eating and Dana exactly covers all the questions I ever had like Fruit Has Too Much Sugar and How Much Protein Do We Need (the name is almost identical to my protein post). Check it out.
Make the bars and let me know what you think. I was seriously thinking not posting Nutritional Info anymore for many reasons. People get so hung up on calories, I get emails about WW Points someone counted differently all the time etc. Seems like a waste of time counting calories to me, period. But then I think nutritional breakdown gives people a good understanding of what whole foods are made of.
Question is: do you care about Nutritional Info below or not?
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter, unsalted
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or raw honey
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
Directions
- In a food processor, add almonds and process on High until finely ground. Add oats and process more until finely ground. Add coconut flakes, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract; process for 30 seconds.
- Add peanut butter and maple syrup, process until combined. You might have to stop a few times and scrape down the walls. Add 3/4 of chocolate chips and pulse a few times.
- Line 8" x 8" square baking dish with parchment paper and transfer dough into it. Flatten with spatula. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top and flatten more with spatula or using your hands, pressing chips into dough. Refrigerate for a few hours of freeze for 30 minutes. Cut into 16 squares and enjoy chilled.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 16
Amount Per Serving = 1 bar:
Calories: 222.2
Total Fat: 15.7 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 36.8 mg
Total Carbs: 16.4 g
Sugars: 6.5 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.5 g
Protein: 6.5 g
WW Points+: 6
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