Peanut Butter Power Bars

I'm a big fan of almond power bars, which are packed with protein and really sustain me. My kids, however, haven't really gotten on the bandwagon. They eat them, sometimes, but will grab for something else if it's available. The other day, however, I stumbled upon a kid-friendly, slightly altered recipe. I decided to make some almond power bars and realized I was out of raw almond butter, and out of the unsweetened baking chocolate I use to make the frosting.

Raw almond butter is super good for you, but it can be very expensive. I buy mine at Trader Joe's and get a fabulous deal, but I can't always just run over to Trader Joe's. It's pretty far away. So, sometimes we make do with all natural peanut butter. No added sugar.

So, the other day, I simply substituted "no sugar added peanut butter" for raw almond butter and melted a bar of dark chocolate for the frosting (containing all natural ingredients--no high fructose corn syrup), and suddenly my kids wanted to eat the bars. I liked the other bars the way they were, and obviously, the other bars are a little healthier, but if substituting a couple of ingredients can make them kid-friendly, then I will do it! Eating these bars is still going to be a lot healthier for my kids than just about any other snack they reach for!

Peanut Butter Power Bars

2 cups raw almonds
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
2 scoops flavored whey protein powder
1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
8 drops liquid Stevia
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 squares of all natural dark chocolate, melted

Directions:
Put almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, whey powder, almond butter, and salt in a food processor with the S blade. Pulse until the nuts are mostly crushed.
In a small sauce pan, melt coconut oil completely over very low heat. Remove oil from heat; add Stevia and vanilla. Pour this mixture into the food processor, then pulse again until ingredients form a coarse paste.
Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper, then press mixture into the pan. Chill in refrigerator for 1 hour, or until hard.
Spread melted chocolate over the bars and chill until hardened. Cut into squares and enjoy!