Homemade Nature Bars

Close up of homemade date bars

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Kamut cereal puffs (Nature's Path) (or rice puffs if gluten-free)
  • 12 cup of dates, pitted and soaked, then mixed into a paste
  • 14 cup of millet flakes (or oatmeal)
  • 14 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
  • 2 to 4 Tbsp coconut flakes, unsweetened
  • 2 Tbsp toasted, salted hemp seeds (see note below)

Directions

  1. Start by soaking the pitted dates for about 15 minutes to 1 hour (use warm water to prep faster), drain but reserve the water. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. The mixture should stick together; if not, add just a little water from the dates and mix again. It should not be wet, however.
  2. On a portable flat surface, a dish or cutting board, lay a sheet of parchment paper and scoop out the mixture. Shape into a rectangle and flatten as tight as possible. Cover and place into the fridge for 1 to 2 hrs (or even until the next day). (Makes 5 to 6 bars, depending on how you cut them; double the ingredients for a larger batch.)
  3. Remove from fridge and cut into smaller rectangular pieces lengthwise. Wrap individual pieces in small squares of parchment paper. Then it's best to place them back into the fridge so they hold their shape better.

Notes

The star superfood ingredient in these Homemade Nature Bars is hemp seeds. They are a fantastic source of Omega 3 and (get ready for this) they are loaded with fiber, potassium, iron, vitamin E, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper and manganese. You can order toasted, salted hemp seeds here.

Contributor

Calmful Living

Calmful Living is brought to you by Natural Vitality, a purpose-driven human nutrition company. Natural Vitality Calmful Living offers fun tips, delicious recipes, inspiring profiles and features to empower readers to find balance in a stressful world. Visit the Calmful Living Blog for more content that will get you eating, drinking, gardening, shopping and learning in a whole new shade of green.