Who Couldn't Use a Little More ENERGY?!

Hello all, it's been a while.  Did you miss me?  I've missed blogging, but it's not been because I haven't been cooking, it's just that a whole lotta life's been happening, and, okay, perhaps a little laziness on my part as well.  But it's MY BLOG, and I can post when I wanna!  'Course I can't really figure out WHAT I've been doing exactly with my time, but suffice it to say, I've been concentrating on my family, my home, my friends, and my self.  Can I get a witness!?

Nutrition has become very important to me in the last 5 months, more so than it already had, and I've been doing my homework, educating myself, changing things around the house a bit, and trying to get the whole family on board.  It's a full-time job.

So I must share this recipe with y'all.  Again, it's from none other than Mrs. Jessica Seinfeld, (I know, I'm a broken record, but she's good people!)  For the first time in my life, someone's REQUESTED I repeat a recipe for them, actually dropped an obvious hint so I would prepare a treat for their upcoming, ridiculously long flight.  I was flattered, and got right to work, but shhhhhhhhh, that's the best part, it's BARELY any work!

They're No-Bake Energy Bars.  That's right, you heard me, NO BAKING!  Nada baking, niet, nee, negatory.  Don't bother turning on the oven, because it's pas nécessaire!  Check 'em out:

Those chia seeds are the gifts that keeps on giving, well after the
bar is gone, you might want to do a mirror/teeth check.

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

3/4 cup Raw Almonds

1 1/4 cups Brown Rice Cereal

1 cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats

1/4 cup Unsweetened Finely Shredded Coconut

1/4 cup Flax Meal

1/4 cup Raw Chia Seeds

1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup

6 Tablespoons Almond Butter

1/2 cup Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips

Here's what you do, and get ready to be done very shortly:

Spray your 8 x 8 pan with cooking spray, then line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, letting a couple of inches hang over two sides, to lift later.

Place the almonds in a food processor and pulse until evenly chopped.  Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the brown rice cereal, the rolled oats, coconut, flax meal, and chia seeds.

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, combine the rice syrup and almond butter, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until melted and creamy.  Pour over your dry mixture and stir until it's combined well.  I prefer to use my hands, (yes, clean ones), to mix this evenly.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  (The chips are optional, if you prefer to keep these chocolate-free, they're still delicious without, but it is nice to get a little chocolate treat in a bite here and there.)  Then press evenly into the prepared pan, again with the hands, and let cool for 30 minutes.  I like to put them in the refrigerator so they harden up nicely.  Then grab the ends of the parchment paper, lift out and cut into bars.  

*(I've also made this recipe with 1/4 cup brown rice syrup, cutting it with 1/4 cup honey, combining those with the almond butter in the heated mixture, and it does seem to hold them together a wee bit better.)

I doubled this recipe for my dear, sweet, new/old friend, Sophia, who's off to her homeland New Zealand with Little Henry, for way too long, in my opinion.  Maybe she won't be able to get the ingredients there, and, craving them deeply, will be forced to return to L.A. at an earlier, more REASONABLE date.

I think the two Henry's would agree with me...

Big Henry, who will be 3 this weekend, devours them:

And Little Henry enjoys them too, almost as much as Mummy:

Will the bars make it to New Zealand?