Almond Power Bars

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My kids get the "snackies." A lot. They eat three big meals a day, but it just doesn't hold them. Midafternoon, they're opening the fridge and perusing the pantry, wondering what we've got to eat. Part of this is just the fact that they're kids who burn off everything they eat, but another part is that a lot of the things they eat just don't stick with them enough. Sometimes it's really hard to keep them full.

Raw nuts are a great choice to keep them full longer, but my kids won't eat them. I did, however, find a fantastic recipe in Maximized Living Nutrition Plans that is packed with raw nuts, among other healthy, tasty things, and because the nuts are ground up, my kids don't really realize they're eating them. They will, however, eat these almond power bars, and the bars do keep them full longer. My husband and I eat them, too, and it really helps keep the "snackies" at bay for all of us.

This is one of those recipes, though, that can rack up quite a bill at the grocery store if you don't have the ingredients on hand already. Once you have the ingredients, they'll last quite a while, but if your budget is super tight and you don't have the ingredients on hand already, consider purchasing just one or two of the ingredients each time you go to the store until you have all of them. I'll also give you some hints below for where to find the ingredients for the best prices.

Almond Power Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups raw almonds (I buy these in bulk at Sam's Club.)
1/2 cup flaxseed meal (You can buy this anywhere. Store it in your freezer, and it will last a really long time. I've only bought 2 bags of it in the past 9 months.)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional. I don't add this, but it is in the recipe.)
2 scoops flavored whey protein powder (Whole Food carries this in their store brand, 365. I use vanilla.)
1/2 cup raw almond butter. (Two words. Trader. Joe's. It is so, so much cheaper than anywhere else.)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut oil (buying this in bulk is a lot cheaper. Wal mart also carries it in their baking aisle.)
8 drops liquid Stevia or 3/4 tsp. Stevia powder, to taste.
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla (check the label. Some brands add corn syrup. I buy McCormick vanilla at Sam's Club.)
8 squares unsweetend chocolate, melted and sweetened to taste. The original recipe calls for Stevia and cinnamon, but I prefer to add liquid Stevia and pure almond flavoring.

Let me give those ingredients to you one more time, without the notes. It'll be easier to read.
2 cups raw almonds
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup shredded coconut, optional
2 scoops flavored whey protein powder
1/2 cup raw almond butter
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
8 drops liquid Stevia
1 Tbsp. vanilla
8 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted and sweetened to taste with stevia, and cinnamon or almond flavoring. (optional)

Directions:
Put almonds, flax meal, shredded coconut, whey powder, almond butter, and salt in a food processor with the S blade. Pulse briefly, about 10 seconds.
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.
In a double boiler, melt unsweetened chocolate squares, adding the sweeteners to taste. Spread over hardened bars and refrigerate until chocolate hardens (about 30 minutes). Remove and cut into bars right away.

Hints: The chocolate stays very dark, so if you don't prefer a very dark chocolate, consider eating the bars without the chocolate coating, or substituting the chocolate with sunflower nut butter or a combination of a nut butter and chocolate.

You can also crumble up this paste and use it to make apple-strawberry cobbler. It is delicious! We eat it for breakfast sometimes, with no guilt, because our topping is high in protein, not refined flour.

Making Fast Food Work

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The convenience and economy of fast food make it one of the things people have a hard time letting go when they want to get healthy. That, and how delicious everything tastes fried in hydrogenated oil, and how convincing their commercials are, and how much you can save using their coupons, and the signs (and smells) you have to drive by when you're hungry... Yeah. Fast food is pretty hard to resist, especially when you're pressed for time or are really tired and don't feel like cooking.

Before you throw in the towel and order those trans fat loaded fries, though, let's take a look at some fast food alternatives that make the drive through doable, even on a healthy eating plan.

1. Chick filA's grilled chicken nuggets. Yes, that's right! You can now order nuggets grilled at Chick-filA! Technically, they're only offered as part of the kids' meals, but the point is that they have them! You can either ask to have your adult meal made with them, or order the smaller portioned kids' meal instead. (Your protein portion should be about the size of your fist--remember that when deciding how big to make your meal.) To add to the pleasure, they also offer Buddy Fruits as a side. This blended applesauce, with no added sugar, is super convenient, and somehow seems just a little cooler than a side of sliced apples. Maybe it's the colorful cap.

2. Streakers at Moe's. This summer, I was surprised to read on a frisbee (yes, a frisbee) that Moe's uses grass-fed beef, cage-free chicken with no hormones added, no microwaves, no trans fat, no msg, and whole grain tortillas. I'm assuming the tortillas use some refined flour, or else they would say 100% whole grain, which is why I recommend the streaker option--ordering your meal without the tortilla. You may want a small bed of lettuce underneath, otherwise known as a salad.

3. Baked potato (Wendy's, Arby's). Yes, potatoes are pretty starchy--I wouldn't recommend having this all the time, but ordering a baked potato instead of a trans fat loaded meal is a much better alternative. A couple of months ago, our family stopped at a Wendy's while traveling, and I felt so triumphant when I ordered a baked potato and side salad, completely bypassing the burgers and fries. It was possible to eat fresh and healthy--even at Wendy's! To get your protein, consider ordering a grilled chicken breast. Cut it up and throw it over the top of your potato.

4. Go grilled. Do salad. I'm not the world's biggest salad fan, but I have to admit that if you include ingredients you really like, salads can be pretty tasty. Having said this, I've been disappointed on more than one occasion to find that I don't really like the limited salad choices at many fast food restaurants, and I often feel like I'm missing out by ordering them. Make a compromise. Order your favorite roast beef sandwich, but ask for it on a bed of lettuce, rather than on a bun. Go ahead and get those chicken strips--just get them grilled (or order a grilled chicken breast and cut it into strips!). Don't be afraid to ask for your grilled burger to be wrapped in lettuce instead of on a bun (my dad ordered this by accident one time and was really disappointed!) or to throw your meat on some greens. The worst they can say is no, and if they say yes--who knows? You just may find a new favorite fast-food meal.

5. Always drink water. For starters, it's free! When a family of 5 eats out, this can save you close to $10.00, depending on the cost of drinks. Some restaurants will even lower the price of a value meal if you ask for a glass of water with it. In addition, because most fast food is pretty high in sodium, drinking extra water will help move that excess salt through your body. Also, pretty much any drink you would order besides water will either be full of sugar or harmful artificial sweeteners.

Of course, it's almost always cheaper and healthier to eat at home, but when you must eat out, don't just give up and order junk--give your best effort to eat healthy, even at the drive-thru.

Transformed...for a reason

Although I’m always grateful for the difference living unrefined has made in our lives, there are times when it hits harder than others, like the time my mom handed me a “before” picture of us, and I remembered how we used to look and feel, or the day Dale cleaned out the medicine cupboard and lined up on the counter all of the medication bottles he no longer needed.

Today was one of those days. I was finishing up our taxes, and I had gotten to the medical expenses. I pulled out the plastic bin full of receipts and began looking through it. As I did, I realized how easily I had forgotten about all of the medications we used to buy. I had forgotten how often Dale and Hayley used to have to go to the doctor, and all of the symptoms they used to have. Bills and bills. Receipts and receipts. It was literally thousands of dollars worth of medical expenses. I guess you could say we needed life, unrefined more than anyone.

Sure, our grocery bills were less back then, but we more than made up for it with lab work, doctors’ bills, visits to specialists, and prescriptions.

The longer we live unrefined, the more distant these things become from our reality, but I hope I never stop being grateful. I’m grateful that Dale, desperate for relief from physical pain, chronic fatigue, and frequent illnesses, walked into Dr. Sweeney’s office looking for help, and that, for once, he wasn’t simply handed another Rx order, which would only continue to mask his symptoms--symptoms which were showing up for a reason. His body was trying to tell him something, and the doctors weren't listening. He didn't want another medication thrust at him. He wanted to be well.

This time, it was different. This time, Dr. Sweeney listened, and then he challenged Dale to live differently. He challenged him to get his body healthy through natural means so that he would no longer need all of those doctors' visits and medications to mask his symptoms. Instead, he would be attacking the root cause behind the symptoms. We had no idea—no idea—just how transforming Dr. Sweeney’s challenge would be.

As unbelievable as this transformation has been for us, though, it’s almost inconsequential compared to the unbelievable spiritual transformation Christ wants to perform in our lives when we truly let Him have control. The apostle Paul says that “The training of the body has a limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Tim. 4:8).

Imagine the amazing benefits we can experience from allowing God to transform our spirits, taking away all of the harmful crud we put in them. The results of physical transformation have an amazing impact on our lives here and now—our ability to live and breathe and move with greater ease and clarity—but the results of spiritual transformation have an unbelievable impact both on our present lives, and on our eternity.

As we seek to remove harmful foods and toxins from our bodies in order to live healthier lives, my hope and prayer is that we also take time to transform our spirits. If we neglect this, we’ve wasted our time and completely missed the point of living life, unrefined. We discipline our bodies and make the effort to live healthier now because of eternity. Now is the time God has given us to serve, to pray, to worship, and to use our gifts. We can do all of this better with healthier bodies. The reason we work hard on our health is because we know we’ve got more important things to do with our lives, things that will matter for eternity. We live life, unrefined, which is of limited value, because we recognize what is of greater importance...knowing Him and making Him known.