Chocolate Tahini Energy Bars (GF)

First things first: I had no idea it was so easy to make homemade energy bars! That being said, I have to confess that this recipe took AGES to perfect, a rather humbling experience.  I mean, creating an energy bar should be so simple, right?  After five (yes, five) failed attempts, these beauties were created and were a crowd favourite by a landslide.  Let’s just say that I was a frequent flyer at Nature’s Fare Markets, they have the best selection of healthy ingredients for making energy bars (over and over again).  And hey, the ‘fails’ made for an awesome cereal!

Since having our little guy Max, I’ve started to hit the gym again and am paying more attention to what I eat surrounding my workouts.  Staying properly fueled before and after workouts helps us get the most out of our time exercising and speeds up recovery.  These bars are perfect if you want to snack on one 45-60 minutes before a workout or immediately after to refuel.  They’re also awesome if you just want a snack. Do you really need an excuse?

Like most foods, portion control is still important here. If you are making 18 bars each bar has around 190 calories, 6.5 g protein, 10 g fat and 28 g of carbohydrate.  These bars are rich in healthy fats, loaded with fibre, sweetened mostly from nutritious dates, and are gluten-free for those who need to avoid it!   Of course, if you are needing to avoid gluten entirely be sure to use gluten-free versions of all of these ingredients (ie: gluten-free oats).