When it comes to zerowaste, I try to make only one small change at a time, get the change settled in to become my ‘norm’ before moving on to the next thing. This is so I can make long term changes without all the overwhelm....which I do struggle with a bit. With feeding (at least) nine people a day here, and with lots of packed lunches, I’ve been getting a bit horrified with how many muesli bar wrappers that I throw away each time I’m cleaning out lunch boxes. So, that has been the catalyst for this months zero waste challenge for myself of trialling some different homemade muesli bars. This one has been the favourite so far.
In case you wanted to make this simple change, here is one recipe I am sharing that is simple and delicious. Ifyou have any tried and true recipes that you wouldn’t mind sharing – please do!
GOOD ENERGY SLICE
(Thanks to Chelsea Winter’s Everyday Delicious Recipe Book)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups mixed chopped nuts (raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, pistachios, Brazil nuts, pecans).
1 ½ cups shredded or descicated coconut
¾ cup pumpkin seed
¾ cup sunflower seed
½ cup sesame seeds
2 cups pitted dates, finely chopped
½ cup cold-processed coconut oil
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp ground cinamon
2 tsp vanilla essence or paste
½ cup water
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins, or apricots
Pinch salt
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two slice tins with baking paper.
Spread the nuts on a roasting tray along with the coconut, pumpkin, suflower, and sesame seeds.
Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until just starting to turn golden, mixing it up once or twice and keeping an eye on the mixture so it doesn’t get too brown. Remove and set aside.
Add the dates to a large saucepan with the coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, vanilla and water. Cover and simmer gently for around 10 minutes until soft and mushy, stirring a few times, Add the toasted ingredients, dried fruit, and salt. Mix well to combine. Press into the tins, pushing down to compact the slice so it’s easier to cut.
Refrigerate until set (about 1 hour), then cut into pieces. Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for about a month. I’m going to free-flow freeze the bars so I can pop them into our lunchboxes and they can stay cool until morning tea time.
