Sometimes it is REALLY hard to eat healthy while taking classes and/or working part-time…I love making a big batch of any of these three snacks and eating them throughout the week. They are also all customizable, which means if you don't want to use nuts in the granola bars or you want to use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate in the trail mix bites, you totally can!
Here are a few recipes that are easy to make, easy to eat, and easy to share with friends (or co-workers)!
1. Customizable Granola Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of dates, packed and pitted
- 1/4 cup honey (can use agave for vegan version)
- 1/4 cup creamy natural almond butter (feel free to use peanut butter!)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup nuts (I used 3/4 unsalted almonds and 1/4 unsalted cashews)
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats (I used gluten free), toasted for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
How to make:
- Put the dates in a food processor or blender for a minute until it forms a "dough"--mine was able to be rolled into a ball.
- Place toasted oats, almonds, hemp seeds, and dates into a bowl for later.
- Combine the almond butter, honey, and vanilla in a saucepan over low heat and then pour over the oat and date mixture. Combine these ingredients, breaking up the dates so they are interspersed within the dough.
- Move the combined ingredients to an 8x8 pan or something similar, lined with parchment paper.
- Press down on the dough until it is flat, using your fingers. Cover with another layer of parchment paper and let it set for about 20 minutes in the freezer before cutting.
- Store bars in an airtight container (will keep for a few days, otherwise freeze them).
2. Collard Green Wraps
Hear me out.these are SUPER filling, easy to customize with your favorite veggies, and don't make you miss the bread or wraps at all. :) Oh, and these keep pretty well if you want to bring them to the library or something else!
You will need:
- 2-3 Collard Green leaves
- Hummus (whatever flavor you prefer)
- Carrots, sliced into long strips
- Avocado, pitted/skin removed and cut into slices
- Cucumber, sliced into long strips
Wash the collard green leaves, remove the stem in the middle, and cut the collard green in half. Spread hummus over the leaf, and add as many veggies as you would like! Voila!
3. Trail Mix Bites
These are also super customizable--use whatever seeds/nuts/dried fruit that you love. I promise they will turn out delicious!
For mine I used:
- 1 bar of premium dark chocolate
- Pistachios
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Goji berries
To make them:
Melt the bar of chocolate in the microwave--to do this, you have to make sure that you microwave it for about 15 seconds and stir (repeat until all of the chocolate is completely melted). I know this is time-consuming, but burnt chocolate does not taste good either. :)
Dollop the chocolate onto wax paper (or a baking mat) and top with nuts and fruit. Put in the freezer for at least two to three hours and then enjoy!
