To my dismay, most of the energy bars on the market have ingredients that just don’t jive well with me. One such ingredient is whey protein, which may sound fine but it’s a byproduct of the cheese making process and therefore doesn’t belong in my food! As with most edible things, I prefer the diy method because everyone else just makes it unnecessarily complicated.

Making energy bars at home is very satisfying and you can monitor the quality of the ingredients yourself. They’re super tasty, easy to make, and purse-or-pocket portable!

1 cup toasted, shredded coconut

1 and 1/4 cups raw almonds

1 heaping Tablespoon ground flaxseed

2 heaping Tablespoons each raw pumpkin seeds and raw sunflower seeds

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 pitted dates

2/3 cup Turkish apricots

2/3 cup organic raisins

4 Tablespoons organic brown rice syrup

1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, sprinkle the spices and salt over the toasted coconut and mix well, then add the rest of the dry ingredients.

2. Process the dried fruit and vanilla briefly in a food processor, then add the dry ingredients. Process well, then add the syrup.

3. Press the mixture firmly into a baking dish and refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight. Cut into squares and freeze if keeping longer than a few days.