Better named “chunks of heaven” versus “chunks of energy”; however, they can be quite expensive. So, in the spirit of DIY, today was my first attempt at makin’ my own. I looked up a few recipes online, went to the store, and absolutely winged it. From the recipes I looked at, I gathered that it didn’t matter what kinds of nuts, seeds, sweeteners, or sticky stuff you used, just that the right consistency and taste was achieved. Below you can see most of the ingredients I chose: raw slivered almonds, raw sunflower seeds, sunflower butter, dates and Endangered Species Chocolate Intense Dark Chocolate with Cacao Nibs.
First, I soaked my dates in about a quarter cup of water while I tossed approximately 2 cups sunflower seeds, 1 cup slivered almonds, ¼ cup chia seeds,about 3 Tablespoons fresh-ground flax meal (which I keep in the freezer), 2 Tablespoons honey, 4 Tablespoons sunflower butter, about half the bar of chocolate, then tossed in the soaked dates and water. Blend! I had to stir it around with a spatula between blends because it was very thick. Adjust with water or honey or sunflower butter for proper consistency as needed.
More processing…
Then I plopped it out of the food processor into an 8″ x 8″ pan.
Using a spatula, I squished it down, and because I also love cinnamon (and it is an anti-inflammatory), I sprinkled some on top. Then I put it in the fridge for a few hours to firm up.
A short time later, I sliced and popped them out of the pan. They turned out delicious! The consistency was little less dense than the commercial chunks, but stuck together just fine. They tasted really good too, but next time I think I will add more chocolate!
Since I’m running the Monument Avenue 10K tomorrow, these will be a perfect post-run high-protein snack! I didn’t do a cost analysis on this, but, as you can see, my recipe made a lot!
