Godiva--it is not...

My husband & I recently did a 28-day cleanse. We followed Dr. Alejandro Junger's CLEAN program and if you read Goop you know what I am talking about...its was basically four weeks of no dairy, no gluten, no sugar, no alcohol, no caffeine, no soy, no corn, no night shade veggies...did I mention NO ALCOHOL?? And it was challenging, for sure. But what probably the most enlightening part of the whole thing was the fact that it showed me that we didn't really eat as healthy as I thought we did. I mean we have always put a huge priority on organics and cooking at home and eating a healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables, moderate dairy, lean protein and whole grains. But even in this healthy diet, there are still items that our bodies have a hard time breaking down and leave us feeling sluggish. Dairy and gluten are the two big culprits. Anyway, this post is about how I am kind of changing my way of thinking about food and am embracing this new way of eating as a lifestlye change...and as hard as it was to turn this moving train around (imagine The Barefoot Contessa going gluten/dairy free--simply does not compute!) we both feel good and will just see how this whole thing progresses.

Ok, so I was looking for a recipe for energy bars for the kids in this new spirit of change and I came across this recipe. It sparked a whole lot of other ideas for other tasty flavor combos. I have shaped mine into balls instead of bars because I thought the whole truffle shape was a nice touch with Valentine's Day coming up, but don't get your hopes up THAT high...But they are good, just in a different kind of way. Finally, I just have to say, the lowly date is an amazing powerhouse packed with sweet goodness...I highly recommend them!

Fruit-and-Nut Energy Bars

by Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup pecans
• 1/3 cup dried apples
• 1/3 cup pitted dates
• Cinnamon

Instructions

1. To make apple-pecan bars, grind 1/3 cup pecans in a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Transfer the nuts to a bowl, then process 1/3 cup each pitted dates and dried apples. Add the nuts and a pinch of cinnamon, then process until the mixture holds together when squeezed.
2. Add the nuts and a pinch of cinnamon, then process until the mixture holds together when squeezed.
3. Divide it into six portions, mold each into a bar, and wrap in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Makes 6 bars.

More Fabulous Flavors
Follow the steps above, using 1/3 cup of the nuts and 1/3 cup of each dried fruit:
Apricot Muffin: dates, dried apricots, and almonds
Cherry Tart: dates, dried cherries, and walnuts
Peanut Butter Snap: dates (2/3 cup), peanuts, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and a pinch of salt
Tropical: dried mango, dried pineapple, pecan, finely shredded coconut
Chocolate-Almond Truffle: sliced almonds, 3/4 T. unsweetened cocoa powder (more to taste), agave. shredded coconut (optional)

My Personal Fav--Cashew Cookie: dates, cashews...perfect.