Protein bars

These little guys are so tasty and made with WHOLE foods. They are fairly sweet and are high in calories due to their delicious ingredients, so be careful how many you eat.

These were inspired by my friend's recipe that she posted on her blog, check her version out here. They're called coconutty bars on her "simply eat" page.

When I saw her post these I HAD to have them in my mouth, right at that moment. I dug around in my cupboards and pulled out anything I thought might be good. They were a hit!

chop or use a food processor for the following:

• 1 T almonds
• 4 halves of walnuts
• 1 T raisins

You can process the rest but I wanted them in whole pieces for mine:

• 1/2 c. oats (I used quick oats)
• 1/4 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 T flaxseed
• 2 T almond butter
• 2 T coconut oil
• 2 T honey
• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

Mix everything up until they're all sticking together nicely. If needed, you can always add more almond butter, coconut oil or honey, whichever you prefer.

Press into a glass dish, the bigger the bottom, the thinner this will be. I used a loaf pan the first time and a 9" x 11" the second time. I prefer the second option because they were nice and thin, not too much at once. Stick this in the freezer while doing the topping.

• 1/2 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
• 2 T coconut oil
• 1 T almond butter

Melt them in a double boiler or in a small pot on VERY low heat to make sure you don't burn the chocolate. Again, you can substitute or add more anything to make it your own.

Pour over the mixture in the pan and spread around until even and put back in the freezer. They will become quite hard so I found it easier to cut them after about 10-15 minutes in the freezer before the chocolate got too hard. Store in the fridge if they last that long! Enjoy :)