Gluten-Free Kindness Bars
Recently, my friend and PBS cooking show star Daisy Martinez posted on Instagram, which read, “My therapist said, ‘You like taking care of people because it heals the part of you that needed someone to take care of you.’ ” I felt the words vibrate through my heart until it stopped me dead in my tracks. The simple truth? It made so much sense—to my sense of self. It explained why I love to nurture so intensely and why I lead each day with kindness. The most beautiful characteristic about kindness is that it flows freely when our actions align with our deepest inner thoughts and emotions—our truest self—a rare quality, if ever found, to be cherished.
How do i set my kindness bar?
Kindness starts with me—my thoughts, my voice, my choices, my actions. How I treat my body, inside and out. My path to self kindness comes with a no-bullshit meter and has changed how I think, how I feel, how I react, how I move and how I eat, of course, like the recipe for Kindness Bars. Learning to be kind to myself hasn’t always been easy, but I’m worth it—and so are you.
Coincidentally, for years, my #1 pre-workout snack were KIND Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt bars. One day, I decided to see if I could make them myself so I could leave out the ingredients I prefer to limit—soy, peanut, palm kernel oil and preservatives.
As it turns out, you can raise the bar on snacks, too, without skimping on happiness or kindness to your self.
Until we eat again,
Gluten-Free kindNESS bars
Grab one of these protein-rich, high-energy snack bars for your pre-workout snack, on-the-go breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up. Each bar is packed with protein-rich and energy-boosting nuts with the option to dip in chocolate.
gluten-free ≈ dairy-free ≈ REFINED sugar-free
MAKES 6
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 27 MINUTES
INGREDIENTS
For the bars:
¾ cup sliced raw almonds
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup coarsely chopped raw whole almonds
1/3 cup gluten-free brown rice cereal
½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped (optional)
¼ cup brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon flaked sea salt
For the dipping chocolate (optional):
1 cup dark chocolate, coarsely chopped, preferably refined sugar-free and dairy-free, such as Hu Simple Dark Chocolate
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 325º and grease a 10-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with gluten-free cooking spray. Line the pan with overhanging parchment paper to easily remove the bars. Add the sliced almonds, coconut, chopped almonds, rice cereal, vanilla, brown rice syrup, honey and salt to a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine and evenly coat.
2. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and using a greased piece of parchment paper, press down firmly to spread evenly. Bake for 12 minutes; let cool completely.
3. Preheat the oven to 250º. Remove from the pan and cut evenly into 6 bars. Place, gooey-side up, on a wire rack set over a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Bake until almost dry to the touch, about 15 minutes.
4. If using the chocolate, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Place two-thirds of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a small saucepan filled with about an inch of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Cook, stirring, until melted and smooth; remove from the heat.
6. Stir in the remaining chocolate until completely melted. Dip the bottoms of each bar into the chocolate and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Let sit at room temperature until the chocolate is completely set.
RECIPE NOTES
Use your favorite nuts and seeds in place of the almonds.
Stir in ¼ cup of wild dried blueberries, such as My Berry Organics.
To store, layer the bars in between parchment paper and place in a resealable container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 month.
