Cut the B.S Wednesday – About Snacking + Powerbar Recipe

By Vanessa Fioretti | January 6, 2016
If your day begins with a coffee, followed by a latte with a muffin thrown into the mix or even worse you skip breakfast completely – then this post is for you. For many of us the way in which we nourish our bodies has moved to bottom of our priority list in exchange for our to-do-lists. Many people, especially women, tend to eat very little throughout the day, due to busy family and work lives. Others may have this misconception that eating little to nothing will help them meet their weight loss goals. This can actually have the opposite effect on your metabolism! Eating frequently will not only boost your mood, but it can also help to get your metabolism fired-up and rocking!

This week on Simplicity TV we are back in the kitchen, and we are making homemade (no-bake!) power-bars. These homemade bars make the perfect snack when you are on the run, and can be made kid-friendly to take as a snack for school.

The Benefits of Snacking

Eating frequently (every 2-3 hours) could quite possibly be your new lifeline, giving you the energy, zest and fuel you need to be more productive and even happier throughout the day. What you eat and more importantly what you digest and absorb, becomes the fuel your body flows from and the foods and beverages you choose directly effect how you feel. The next time you start to get agitated and cranky at work, look at the time. Is it between 1pm and 4pm? Your body is telling you something.

So what can you do about it? If you feel a real resistance when it comes to removing things from your diet,  start by simply adding a new healthier habit in.

Try to eat within one hour of waking. If you don’t have time to make a well-­rounded plate of scrambled eggs and veggies, make a smoothie. If you don’t have time for that, boil half a dozen eggs at dinner-­time and keep them in the fridge. There you have a quick breakfast on the go. A whole egg contains 5g of protein, and balanced dose of fat and B-­vitamins, essential nutrients to fuel your day. Start with something simple and build from there.

Progress, not perfection, is the key!

The Simplicity Team loves snacking! It keeps your energy levels up, which helps to regulate your hormones and therefore your MOOD and ATTITUDE, so you can take on your day with passion and fire!

Homemade Power Bars

  • 1 cup of dates
  • 1 cup of sunflower, hemp, flax seed mix
  • 1/4 cup of sunflower / nut butter
  • 1/2 cup of rolled oats (quick oats are fine)
  • 2 TBS of Maple Syrup or Honey

TIP: A food processor is best for this recipe. If you don’t have a food processor you can use a blender. We have included some trouble shooting tips in case you run into problems 🙂

  1. Throw in your dates + nut/seed mix. Pulse and blend this until it becomes a paste-like consistency. Add small amounts of water as needed (1 TBS at a time). It helps if you add the water while your processor is already in motion.
  2. Put your paste into a large bowl, and add nut butter + rolled oats. Mix this throughly until the oats and nut butter are evenly dispersed. Add 2 tbs of pure maple syrup or raw honey.
  3. Press this mixture with a spatula or spoon into a square pan. Press this mixture with all your strength! The longer and harder your press, the better the bars will hold their shape.
  4. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy!
Posted in Nutrition, Recipes