First of all, let me state upfront the name “energy bars” irks me a little. Obviously, any food item is a source of energy. What would make something worthy of being labeled as energy bar? Going above a certain threshold in the number of kcal provided per bite?  Well, that’s a bit silly, if you ask me. But, just for the sake of keeping up with the trend, here I am to share with you a recipe for made-from-scratch “energy bars.”   Of the many commercially available cereal bars I’ve tried, I am fond of three:  Nature Valley Granola Bars,  Health Warrior Chia Bars, and Kind. As far as taste goes, my favorite would be Kind,  but the snag is that they are not at all kind to me: I end up with a  stomach ache half an hour or so after munching on one. No idea why, so I’ve decided it’s best to resist them. Phil loves Kind bars and they love him back. Go figure.  But, I am not here to advertise stuff you can get at the grocery store. Instead, I’ll offer a recipe to make some delicious bars in the comfort of your home…

PALEO NUT ENERGY BARS
(slightly modified from Tastes of Lizzy T’s)

2 cups chopped pecans
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped almonds
20 dates, finely chopped
¾ cup egg whites (I used store-bought egg whites)
1 tablespoons cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamon seeds
1½ teaspoons vanilla

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Comments: These bars turned out wonderful. Containing much less sugar than most home-made versions, they don’t have that heavy, overly sticky feel, and I tell you one thing, they give quite a burst of…. how should I put it… energy? Yeap, that’s about right. Well, maybe the name is not that silly after all…
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They last quite some time in the fridge, wrapped in Saran wrap. I suppose they freeze well too, but we did not have to try that. They were gone in less than a week.  Not only they are great as bars, but you can also crumble them and enjoy with yogurt. Phil likes to warm them up in the Breville oven, but I don’t mind just taking them off the fridge, leaving at room temperature for a few minutes. You can also change the proportion of nuts or use different nuts to suit your taste. And guess what? Contrary to some popular brands, these were very kind to me…