Dried Fruit and Nut Bars for a Virtual Baby Shower

This post is for my co-worker Emily’s virtual baby shower! She’s a fellow food blogger soon to be mom to a little baby boy so what better way to celebrate than by throwing a virtual baby shower. When I was browsing through some food blogs and first read about larabars I knew this is what I would make. These treats are the perfect combination of sweet and healthy, packed full of nutrients – exactly what a soon to be mom needs (she’s at 34 weeks already)! No added sugar, gluten free, preservative free, vegan and raw this just screams health and wellness to me. On top of being a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals they’re also delicious! It’s a win win situation for your taste buds and your body. The combination of flavors and ingredients is endless so by no means do you have to follow this recipe. I just came up with these ingredients on a whim and patiently waited for the food processor to break up and mix everything together so I could finally get a taste of the finished product. Spectacular – sweet and nutty with a depth of flavors and fresh zing from the lemon zest.

Now for some nutrition facts:

Raw almonds are a good source of vitamin E, manganese, magnesium, copper, riboflavin, and phosphorus.

Raw walnuts are a good source of omega-3 essential fatty acids, manganese, copper, antioxidant flavonoids, calcium, chromium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.

Figs are a good source of fiber, copper, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, antioxidant flavonoids, and vitamins K and B6.

Dates area a good source of fiber, tannins, vitamin A, antioxidant flavonoids, iron, potassium, calcium, manganese, copper, and magnesium, and contain vitamins A, C, E, K, B6, Thiamin, Niacin and Riboflavin.

Apricots are a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, iron, and silicon.

Goji berries are a good source of carotenoids, iron, potassium, zinc, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin B, C and E.

Have I convinced you yet of the health benefits of these bars? You really must try them!

Dried Fruit and Nut Bars

Makes: 12 mini bars

Start to Finish: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw almonds (organic)

1/2 cup raw walnuts (organic)

1/2 cup figs (5 turkish figs) (organic)

1/2 cup dates (10 delget dates) (organic)

1/2 dried apricot (14 apricot pieces) (organic)

2 tablespoons goji berries (0rganic)

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon warm water

Directions:

1. Add nuts, figs, dates and goji berries to food processor. Process until a sticky mix forms .

2. Add lemon zest, coconut oil, apricots and water and process – make sure mix remains a bit clumpy.

3. Using your hands form mix into smalls balls, or bars. Larabars will keep in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer for up to 1 month.