Power Bars

Think of no-bake cookies. Now, you know the consistency of the mix you are trying to make, except that when you're done, these power bars will actually be refrigerated and a little more dense. You can use my recipe here to create your own. Use mine as a guide and then use your imagination... and clean out your pantry!

Other ideas pending: use agave instead of honey, totally switch from peanut butter to other nut butters like almond, use all nuts, coconut, and seeds but no granola (working toward grain free diet, eventually.) Might also try to make a version that sticks together better when room temp (though, I like the use of coconut oil which will require refrigeration as in these versions).

Rachel's Power Bars Version 2 - Just right!

1. Prep a 8"x8" square pan by lining it with parchment paper hanging over the sides. (This will make it easy to lift out the solid bars in order to cut them after they have set up firm.) Tips: I spray one quick spray on the bottom of the pan in order to get the parchment to stick to it, since the paper is often trying to roll up. By having it stick to the pan, it makes it easy to load the finished mixture in. You might also want to lightly spray the parchment with oil to easily loosen the bars from the paper.

Possible alternative: make blobs and pretend they're no-bake cookies. (I haven't tried this yet.)

2. Assemble the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3/4 cup chopped nuts (brazil, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts)
2 cups dry granola (soaked Nourishing Traditions type) broken up to finer texture
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
3 Tbsp. flax seeds, whole
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (currants, raisins or chopped dried cherries or other dried fruit)

Have a little extra of various dry ingredients set aside in case you end up with a mixture that's too wet.

3. Make the wet mixture which will bind the dry mixture together. The idea in this step is to warm the liquid ingredients enough to thoroughly mix, but to keep cool enough so as not to cook your raw honey and chocolate.

Melt coconut oil, add nut butter and thoroughly mix. Next, add chocolate and stir over low heat til melted. Cool mixture if necessary in order that you can hold your finger in the mixture without getting burned. Now add the raw honey.

1/4 cup coconut oil (this will firm up when chilled, so only substitute palm oil)
5 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup raw honey

Pour the warm mixture over the dry in mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. The mixture should now be similar to a "no-bake" cookie mixture. Each bit of nut, seed, granola, etc. should be coated, but there should not be any pooling of the liquid. Press the mixture firmly into prepared 8"x8" pan, cover and refrigerate 2 hours until totally firm. Lift out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut into bars. Keep in the refrigerator.

Rachel's Power Bars Version 3 - with greenfood powder
The greenfood powder does give these a flavor. If you don't like greenfood powder flavor, you could use less or try a basic spirulina- or chlorella-only powder and use much less. Barlean's Greens has much more ingredients than just chlorella and I use the servings information as a guide to how much to add to my power bars.

Follow the mixing guide and instructions above, use the following amounts of ingredients.

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder (Hershey's Special Dark, or other)
3 Tbsp. Barlean's Greens greenfood powder, which contains stevia
1/3 cup dried unsweetened coconut (Let's Do Organic, available at Meijer)
1 Tbsp. flax seeds, whole
1/2 cup ground nuts
1/2 cup granola
1.5 oz. box of raisins

1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter, crunchy, unsalted
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup raw honey

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Rachel's Power Bars Version 1 - like fudge - too sweet and not enough dry ingredients - Please see Version 2 or 3

1. Prep a 8"x8" square pan...

2. Assemble the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

1/2 cup chopped nuts (brazil, almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts)
2 cups dry granola (soaked Nourishing Traditions type) broken up to finer texture
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. flax seeds, whole
1/2 cup dried fruit (currants, raisins or chopped dried cherries or other dried fruit)

Have a little extra of various dry ingredients set aside in case you end up with a mixture that's too wet.

3. Make the wet mixture...

1/4 cup coconut oil (this will firm up when chilled, so only substitute palm oil)
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup raw honey