I recently posted this pic on Instagram...
Here's the story: I am on a non-dairy, non-gluten, non-coffee, non-chocolate diet due to my little person's food intolerances! Let's just say this new mom is much happier with less dirty diapers, less fussing (from the whole family), and no more rash on his sweet baby skin because of the new "diet."
So, we bought a Ninja thinking it would be a great addition to the kitchen, and I was less than impressed (chunky, and I mean CHUNKY) green smoothies...'nuff said), so we returned it and bought a new vacuum! It was the same price, and something needs to get all that nasty cat hair off the floor and furniture.
The hubby found this energy bar recipe online, and I looked up the Lara Bar ingredients for Pecan Pie. First we tried it in the Ninja (failure), and then perfected in our trusty old mini food processor. What a difference. The only downside is that I had to make 3 batches to get the amount I wanted thanks to the size of my food processor, but it still only took about 15 minutes. We got all the ingredients at Costco, because life is just less expensive that way!
So, without further ado, here's the recipe I used for the treats posted above:
1.25 cups dates (around $7 for 3lbs)
1.5 cup almonds (around $13 for 3lbs)
1.5 cup pecans (around $13 for 2lbs)
1. Throw it all in the food processor and pulse a few times to chop things up a bit.
2. Run the food processor on high for about a minute until the desired consistency is reached.
3. This is the messy part... It's sticky and oily! Dump the goods onto wax paper and roll into a ball and make sure everything is sticking together.
4. Flatten the ball so it looks like a giant burger patty or shape it into a square.
5. Refrigerate for about an hour to harden it up a bit.
6. Cut it however you like. We did bite size the first time, and then bigger bars this time. I prefer the bigger bars.
7. Keep refrigerated. The first ones we kept separated with wax paper in baggies, and this batch we separated them into individual sandwich bags to be able to just grab and go.
Our first batch was too "date-y" tasting, so we used less the next time and they were much better! I'd love to know if anyone successfully uses a Ninja for this mess. Let me know how they turn out for you!
