Chia seed energy bars.

It’s very easy to head for biscuits and chocolate when you feel tired and hungry and you want a quick fix. Ultimately, a quick fix is all you will get as these types of snack will give you a sugar rush that will sustain you for only a short time and you will feel hungry again. What you need in these situations is something that won’t spike your sugar levels and give you energy over a longer period.

This is a recipe that I adapted from a running magazine to contain Chia seeds. Chia seeds are a great source of protein, they give sustainable energy and they help to keep the digestive system healthy and functioning properly.

I took these bars one week to my FooFooFunClub class to try and they were a real hit. They don’t take long to make so give them a go and have some healthy snacks on standby that make you feel great.

Ingredients:

• 125g ground almonds
• pinch salt
• ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 60ml coconut oil (melt over pan of simmering water)
• 60ml rice malt syrup or sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup)
• I tsp alcohol free vanilla extract
• 40g cashews crushed
• 160g combined chia seeds, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds
• 40g dried cranberries (optional)

Method:

Preheat oven at 175 degrees celcius

Grease 20x20x5cm tin

Mix ground almonds, salt and bicarb. In another bowl mix coconut oil, rice malt syrup or alternative and vanilla extract. Add the almond mixture to this. Mix in nuts, seeds and optional cranberries. Press mixture firmly into the tin. Cook 15-20mins until golden.

Remove to wire rack and cool before cutting.

Enjoy!