Protein Bars

My sister-in-law sent me this recipe a while back.  It took me a while to make them because I had to gather the ingredients (which, where I live, takes a few different stores and a bit of searching!)  But they were so worth it!  So, if you have a bit of time to chop, grind and mix all 21 of these ingredients together, you won't be sorry.  I kept them in my freezer and would take out a few at a time when I was on the go.  Needless to say, they didn't last too long.  My 3 year old and I devoured the entire batch within a couple of weeks!

Raw Protein Bars

Mixture 1:

3 cups almond flour (I ground my almonds in the blender, then strained them through a fine strainer/colander)

1 cup golden flax seeds

2 cups oats

Mixture 2:

¼ cup agave

¼ cup maple syrup

3 TBSP raw honey

¼ cup flax oil

¼ cup + 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice

¼ cup fresh orange juice

2 TBSP raw coconut oil (or almond oil)

2 tsp Vanilla

1/8 tsp Almond extract

1 ¼ tsp salt

Mixture 3:

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup golden raisins

½ cup dates

1 cup pecans

¼ cup sesame seeds

½ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup dried apricots

½ cup unsweetened coconut shreads

Directions:  Grind Mixture 1 in blender really well (I used my vita-mix).  Pour into large bread mixer bowl (My bosch was the perfect size).  Combine Mixture 2 in blender until creamy, then combine with Mixture 1 in bread mixer.  Blend Mixture 3 ingredients in Food Processor (a few ingredients at a time) then add to Mixture 1 & 2.  The dough is very stiff.  Spread into 9x13 glass pan.  Refrigerate to cool.  Cut into 1 inch squares.  Stays fresh in refrigerator for 2 weeks.  Or it freezes nicely.  Great for breakfast, snacks, roadtrips, etc!