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…
😉
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Bewitching Kitchen 
These look and sound delicious! Why didn’t you make theminto balls? I think energy bites is the very latest trend! (but i could be wrong…)
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That’s a very good idea, and I’ll definitely make little balls of power next time! 😉
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!!!!
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???? 😉
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Your bars look so good. I think that the majority of the commercially made ‘energy bars’ are so unhealthy, they often contain so much sugar!! I’d much rather make my own and control the ingredients x
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I think one of the reasons people go for store bought stuff is variety – you can always buy two of one kind, two of another, whereas when you make a batch of them at home, you are stuck with them for a while – so, it’s better to make sure it will be just the way we like! 😉
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True! That and the fact that not everyone wants to make the effort…
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Sounds like a great bar and a wonderful use of all those egg whites in my freezer. I like the bar shape as I think it’s a more compact shape for storage.
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Storage is easier with the flat type indeed, but I think a few cereal balls in a plastic bag could lay flat and behave almost the same way.. sort of… kind of… 😉
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These look so good and full of amazing ingredients!
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They were definitely better than we expected!
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🙂
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They look so easy to whip up a batch and I think will work well with favorite nuts!! Thanks for the recipe.
Ps: I missed reading your blog. I’m slowly pulling my head from under a rock of months of newborn life and back to the lab.
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So glad to see you here! I can imagine the roller coaster of doing everything you have to do now with a baby! But it’s all wonderful!
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I will take your brand any day. They look great!
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I promise they are kind and gentle. And also tasty! 😉
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I love that there is no added sugar. a major complaint with most commercial bars. Am pinnig thisone.
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I like that too – even most cereal recipes, granola, often ask for a huge amount of honey or other sweeteners. Not that nice for my taste… nothing to do with calories, but the overall taste, I guess I just prefer things less sweet.
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These do look much healthier than most.. I have an addiction to Cliff Builder Bars and I’m sure they have got to be loaded with some sort of sweetener or else why would I like them so much? Your bars would be a much “cleaner” source of energy and look so scrumptious, a treat after the gym:)
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We should definitely keep something like this in the house for snack emergencies. I’m always having them. I’ve made homemade granola plenty of times, so this really isn’t that much further of a stretch. I also have a package of dates that’s been sitting in the fridge. I keep meaning to do something with them. 😉
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