Homemade Lara Bars aka Lara Balls

I made four versions of Lara Bars yesterday.  Here are the recipes and results.  Use nuts that have been soaked then dehydrated and dates/raisins/prunes that have no preservatives.  Because I made most of these into "ball" shapes, my 7-year-old dubbed them "Lara Balls".  The Protein Bars listed at the bottom need to stay refrigerated, the Lara Balls do not.

Coconut Cream Pie
1 1/2 c. dates
1/3 c. almonds
1/3 c. cashews
1/3 c. coconut

I used 1 cup of dates and 1/2 cup raisins.  In a food processor, mix the dates (and raisins) until it forms a sticky ball.  Remove to a mixing bowl.  Process the nuts (with coconut if it's not already shredded super small) until mostly fine, but with a few smaller chunks.  Add them to the mixing bowl.  With your hands knead the mixture around until it's combined.  Shape into bars or balls.  I opted for balls.  Some people use waxed paper or cling wrap to help in shaping the bars. 

This earned 5 out of 6 thumbs up. 

Cashew Cookie
1 1/2 c. dates
1 c. cashews

Again, I used 1 cup dates and 1/2 cup raisins.  Process the dates (and raisins) until it forms a sticky bowl.  Remove to a separate mixing bowl.  Process the nuts until mostly ground, with a few smaller chunks.  Add them to the bowl and mix with your hands (sort of like kneading bread) until combined.  Shape into bars or balls.  I opted for balls.  Some people use waxed paper or cling wrap to help in shaping the bars.

This earned 2 1/2 out of 6 thumbs up, with it being "the favorite" of the 7-year-old.

Apple Pie
6 dates
about 1/4 c. dehydrated apple slices
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. honey
1/2 c. walnuts
1/2 c. almonds

In a food processor, process the dates, apples, cinnamon and honey until it forms a sticky ball.  Remove to a mixing bowl.  Process the nuts until mostly fine, with a few small chunks.  Add to the date/apple mixture and mix with your hands until combined.  Shape into bars or balls.  I opted for balls.  Some people use waxed paper or cling wrap to help in shaping the bars.

This earned 6 out of 6 thumbs up.  I may try it with more dehydrated apples next time to make it a bit more appley.  Many of the recipes I saw online used raw apples for this, but said they were runny.  Some also added 1/2 tsp. nutmeg, but I don't like the taste so I left it out.

Protein Bars
2 c. almonds
1/4 c. flax seeds
1/2 c. prunes (or dates or raisins or mixture)
1/2 c. coconut (I left it out)
1/2 c. almond butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. coconut oil
1 tbsp. honey
2-3 tsp. vanilla (I left it out)

Add all the dry ingredients in the food processor (or blender like Blendtec) and process until almost fine. In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil.  Then add the honey and vanilla if you're using it.  Add to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Press into an 8x8 pan and let chill in the fridge for about an hour.

This earned 4 1/2 out of 6 thumbs up.

I got off the couch

So, I have this crazy neighbor.  Let's call her Maria.  She's 5 months pregnant.  And she wants to keep running.  Her running friends have all moved away so she went recruiting.  I was one of her first targets.  What better way for a big pregnant lady to run, than with her totally out of shape, hasn't done any exercise for years friend!  I don't know why I agreed.  But she's crazy so I did.

I have now officially finished Week 4 of the Couch to 5K training program.  The first two weeks I thought I would die.  But each run got a little easier.  Not a lot easier, but a little.  Enough that I notice it.  Good enough for me.

Our first race is in 6 weeks.  I still have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I'm actually going out 3 nights a week in order to train for a race.  Because I hate running.  It's good for me though so I keep doing it.  We are TRYING to wake up and run in the mornings before our husbands leave for work, but she's tired because she's pregnant and I'm just tired so usually we go at 9:00pm when it's cooled down to 97 degrees or so.  No joke.

If you are at all interested in getting started I would suggest two things:

First, get one of the Couch to 5K apps.  There are several to choose from.  When I run I take my iPod Touch and some lovely British lady tells me when to walk and when to run.  Actually, she's not lovely.  I don't like her very much.  She causes me pain.

Second, get yourself a crazy friend.  The kind that will show up at your door and drag you out if necessary.  If you can find a pregnant one that works even better because then you think, "If she can do it, so can I."

I've lost weight and my clothes are fitting much better.  Between the running and our GAPS diet, I just might get healthy!

And if I, a 38 1/2 year old, 190 pound (now 178 pound) couch potato can do it, so can you.