Exploits of a Vegan Wannabe

Happy Meatless Monday.

I have the most insanely delicious energy bar  recipe to share with you. It takes only minutes to prepare an entire pan of them, they will keep indefinitely in the freezer and they taste like Blondie brownies. They are good enough to plan a run or any exercise around. They could encourage me to work out on a rest day.

Yesterday I took a raw bar recipe and made it into a running snack by cutting the sugar in half, doubling the sea salt and adding Chia seeds. The result was the most delicious bar I have ever tasted. The original recipe from Practically Raw is just one of so many gorgeous recipes presented in an easy to follow, eye candy of a cookbook.

Our long run is now long enough now to require a snack or two. Last year we trained with running gels. They are individual packets of  gel that you squish into your mouth as you are running. They are a thick, usually very warm, cloyingly sweet  gel that is hard to swallow. Admittedly, a few of them are quite tasty (think warm pudding) but as I am choking them down I am abundantly aware that I am squeezing a packet full of sugar, salt and chemicals into my energy needing,  running machine of a bod. They have never been my favorite, but they certainly helped me complete all of my runs by not passing out from energy depletion.

Because we have time before our half marathon, I thought I would experiment with various whole food options and just see how it goes.  A fellow runner and writer of the blog  JL Goes Vegan shared a fantastic suggestion, that I stuff dates with sea salt and almonds for a pop in your mouth energy boost when you need it. I also tried that yesterday and really love it. Natural energy for a body hard at play. Makes sense to me.

Blondie Energy Bars

From the original recipe for Famous Five-Minute Blondies from Practically Raw by: Amber Shea Crawley

with ingredients slightly revised by: S. Duquet

Ingredients

1 C  Macadamia  Nuts  (I used unsalted and toasted, if you can find raw, all the better)

1 C Walnuts  (I used raw)

1/8 C brown sugar (not packed)

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp sea salt

3/4 C chopped pitted dates

1 C chia seeds

Make It Happen

~Combine the nuts and sugar in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.

~Add the vanilla and sea salt and pulse several more times.

~Add the dates, a few at a time,  pulsing until the dates are well incorporated. The mixture will be sticky.

~Transfer mixture to an 8×8 pan and push into the pan with a spatula or your hand and pack it down tightly.

~Put pan in the freezer for an hour then cut into 16 squares.

Because I intend to use these as snacks for running, I sealed each one in a snack baggie then put them back in the freezer for a grab and go running treat.  These are so good it is hard to believe that they are an energy bar.  They are crumbly in a good way, taste like a blondie brownie and will lull you into thinking they are dessert, all the while fueling your exercising body.  Throw one in your lunch, toss one in your purse or grab them for a picnic or dessert, no reason to limit these delicious bars to exercise.

You will love these tasty morsels and your family will think you have lost your mind and are giving them cookies as snacks.

Remember to comment on the Blog or post a comment to Exploits Facebook page to entered into a drawing for 2 tickets to No Beast Feast, vegetarian (mostly vegan) fundraiser dinner for the Dearborn Animal Shelter.  More details here.

Have a delicious day.

Tags: Amber Shea Crawley, blondie bars, blondie brownies, compassionate eating, dairy free, JL Goes Vegan, Meatless Monday, Meatless Monday recipe, plant based diet, Practically Raw, vegan blondie brownies, vegan dessert, vegan energy bar, vegan energy bar recipe, vegan recipe, vegan snack, vegan wannabe