Wholesome Rawnola Bars – and Why Breakfast is King for The Whole Fam!

If I start my day by skipping breakfast or, worse, eating something rubbish like sugary cereal (which is never, unless I am in a desperate situation), then my entire day can be compromised with more unhealthy food choices, mood swings, sugar dips and general unhappiness. I am not alone – right, mamas?

If we start with a balanced breakfast including a bit of healthy fat, protein, lots of fresh antioxidants and some slow-releasing carbs then, usually, the rest of our day goes pretty well. Some people skip breakfast in an effort to lose weight, but that’s not a good idea and can actually have the opposite effect! Skipping breakfast can make weight loss more difficult as it tends to lead to eating more food than usual at the next meal, or nibbling on high-calorie snacks to keep hunger at bay.

A healthy and balanced breakfast can help you to stay alert, satisfied and focused. This is why kids especially need a good breakfast. Their growing bodies and developing brains need regular refueling from food. When kids skip breakfast, they don’t get the energy the need to be at their best for the school day ahead!

This Wholesome Rawnola Bar recipe is full of all of the good stuff that will help you feel happy and ready to tackle anything that the days throws at you. Plus, the other massive bonus this recipe offers is that it can be made in bulk for the week or even month, saving you time worrying about how to provide a balanced start for your family each day.

This breakfast of choice is also gluten-free, processed sugar-free and basically just real whole food – the way it should be!

The Wholesome Rawnola Bar

Ingredients:

• 1 cup nuts of your choice (if the nuts have a brown skin, make sure to soak overnight and dehydrate to help breakdown the enzymes inhibitors in the skin)
• To avoid nuts, you can replace with seeds or equal amounts oats or more buckwheat
• 1 cup buckwheat flakes (you can use GF oats as well)
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1/4 cup goji berries
• 1/4 cup cacao nibs
• 1 1/2  tsp high mineral salt like pink salt
• 1 1/4 cups of dates (I use palm dates fresh from my garden, but medjooll dates also work well — just make sure they’re soft and moist)
• 1 tsp vanilla powder
• 1/3 cup coconut oil

 Directions:

• De-pip your dates
• Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until well combined
• The mixture should stick together in a ball — if not, add more dates or a drop more oil
• Take the mixture and place into tins or cases of your desired shape and size – flatten down with a spatula. I like my bars nice and thick and so use a 6-mini-loaf silicone tray and keep the bars about 1.5 cm thick. There are no rules here!
• OPTION: you can even make the mixture into energy balls instead of bars if you desire!
• Place your bars in the freezer for up to 20 minutes until they have set
• Remove from the trays (this is why I use silicone trays as it is easier to remove the bars)
• Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks, or keep in the freezer until you’re ready to eat.

Take a few of these out with you as snacks – or add to the kiddies lunchbox (remember all schools have a no nuts policy, so leave those out please mamas) and say goodbye to processed sugary snacks and the resulting mood swings and temper tantrums!