Chocolate Coconut Energy Bars

As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. So when I ran out of energy bars and realized that I was also out of the tahini that I normally use for these bars, I had to get creative. Luckily, I had a jar of almond butter and a craving for chocolate, so out came a new version of energy bars. The cherries of the original version would be just as tasty here, but I decided to switch things up and add in banana chips (bananas are rich in potassium, a useful electrolyte). Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, and is also delicious, so the touch of chocolate and cocoa in these bars will certainly encourage you to get the energy you need for running...or whatever activity you've got going on.

See the link above for my rant on how important fueling is for running (spoiler: it's very important!). These bars will help you take in the calories you need, with loads of protein, carbohydrates, and nutrients to keep you going. They are gluten-free (if you have celiac disease, make sure the oats haven't come into contact with wheat), and can be made vegan if the honey is swapped out for maple syrup. The best part of all is that they taste great, and they're cheap and easy to make, so you can feel good about yourself all around!

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

2 oz good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

3/4 cup dried unsweetened banana chips, chopped

2 Tbsp chia seeds

1/4 cup natural cocoa

1 1/2 cups almond butter (or other natural nut/seed butter)*

1 cup wildflower honey (or 3/4 cup maple syrup if you want it vegan)

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Soak banana chips in water for 20-30 min (basically until they're chewy), then drain.

2. Combine oats, coconut, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chocolate, and chia seeds
in a large bowl.

3. Stir together honey (or maple syrup) and almond butter in a glass 4 cup measure, and heat in microwave for 1 min. Stir in vanilla.

4. Add wet mixture to dry, and stir in banana chips as well until mixture is well combined. Spread mixture onto a lightly greased 13x9" baking sheet.

5. These bars can be easily eaten raw, but can also be baked for 10-15 min in a 325 degree F oven. Slice into bars (I usually cut it into 20). Store in an airtight container at room temp for 1-2 weeks, or freeze for up to 3 months.

*if you choose to use almond butter (I use it, because I have a husband who's moderately allergic to peanuts), don't go running out to the store to buy a jar, which costs $9 or more for a 1 lb jar. If you have a food processor, you can make any nut or seed butter you want. Just buy the raw or roasted nuts, roast in a 325 degree F oven if needed until fragrant, then cool and process, adding in small amounts of a neutral oil (canola or sunflower) until desired consistency is reached. You can process them raw as well if you prefer, and you can flavor it however you want. You've just saved half your money and made a much more delicious nut butter yourself!

Journey Brownies

Marriages (and other long-term relationships) require give-and-take in order to last. Sometimes, though, you can get away without having to compromise. Making a fresh batch of homemade brownies happens to be just one of these situations. You may have figured out by this point that I tend to gravitate toward foods and recipes that allow for a lot of variability and room for creativity. Brownies definitely fall into this category. Of course, why limit yourself to trying one variation at a time, and instead accommodate different tastes at once? 


Hence, the Journey brownies. I've based this on a recipe out of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything (basically a cooking bible!). There's nothing particularly special about this recipe, other than its encouragement to get creative. All it takes is some aluminum foil and maybe 45 min, and you've got yourself a brownie sampler - no need for disagreements about what kind of brownies would be the best. I used aluminum foil to split the batter in half, but with a little extra engineering, I'm sure you could split it further. I opted for some mashed banana, coconut and almonds in my half, while my husband kept things simple. Go ahead, indulge yourself, and have it exactly the way you want it!

Ingredients

5 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar
2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate (optional)

Directions
1. Heat butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan on low heat, just until melted, stirring frequently.
2. Pour chocolate mixture into a medium mixing bowl, then add sugar and mix well.
3. Add eggs one a time, beating after each addition.
4. Beat in flour, salt and vanilla extract (if using).
5. Stir in semisweet chocolate by hand, then split batter into two halves.
6. Add desired add-ins to each half, then pour into an 8"x8" or 9"x9" pan lined with aluminum foil (arranged in such a way as to create a barrier in the middle).
7. Bake brownies in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven for 20-25 min, or until done. Don't be worried about slightly underbaking; they'll just be extra chewy that way!


Makes 16 brownies (or 8 generously sized brownies)


Add-ins for brownies (remember to reduce size accordingly...the measurements I'm giving are meant for half the brownie batter - although they're approximate, so add as much or as little as you want):

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut  (+ banana + macademias = tropical brownies)
• 1/4 cup nuts (sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, or chopped macademia nuts)
• 1/4 cup nut butter (swirl into batter for a nice marbling effect)
• 1/4 cup marshmallows, sprinkled on top in the last 5 min of baking (+ walnuts = rocky road brownies)
• 1/4-1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
• 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract - to replace vanilla (+ chopped white chocolate = mint brownies)
• Anything else you can come up with. The possibilities are endless!