Hello Lovelies:
Do you have a sweet tooth? Is the space where healthy and delicious collide your personal nirvana? If so, you have fantastic taste and I’d have to agree wholeheartedly; healthy and delicious is sort of my personal pursuit! This pursuit led to the creation of the freaking amazing Raw Almond Butter Squares. Hello yum town!
Treat yourself:
These Raw Almond Butter Squares are an energy packed, easy raw dessert!
I made them to bring with me on a busy weekend. My father biked 126km for a Multiple Sclerosis fundraiser (holy wow!); we had a couple of early mornings and a lot of running around to do as a family. And we all needed some great snacks to keep us satisfied and fuel our wonderful bodies (dad especially).
I knew I wanted something dripping at the seams with almonds. And not just because almonds are delicious – they actually come jam packed with a lot of the essential nutritional qualities we needed for our fantastic adventure.
Almonds pack a terrific nutritional punch. They’ve got these lovely babies to offer you:
- Fiber
- Monounsaturated Fats
- Manganese
- Magnesium
- Potassium
- Molybdenum
- Biotin
- Vitamin E
- Copper
- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Don’t let the word fat scare you away (and not just in the case of almonds, fats are typically pretty flipping good for you). The monounsaturated fats found in almonds are actually associated with a lowered risk of heart disease (source).
Almonds, and many other nuts, are packed with calories and an incredible source of energy. Potassium plays an important role in nerve and muscle communication as well as blood pressure regulation (source). And when you join those forces with Magnesium, a mineral that is also responsible for muscle and nerve function as well as blood sugar and blood pressure regulation (source), you’ve got a pretty awesome nutrient crew!
If you’re already on team Almond you can tack on more points when you consider all of the spectacular copper in these delicious goodies. Love having healthy blood vessels, immune function, bones and nerves? I know I do! Copper plays a pretty big role in those areas and hops on the energy train by helping your body use iron to form red blood cells (source).
Almonds are one of the most nutrient packed nuts, wonderful for your awesome, deserving bod! And, unless you have an allergy or sensitivity, it’s definitely something worth consuming whether you need energy to face the day or bike 126km (you rock dad!).
Want in on this goodness in the form of a delicious, healthy dessert? Make these Raw Almond Butter Squares!
Raw Almond Butter Squares
This recipe is Raw, Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Vegan.
You will need:
An 8” by 8” Pan
A Food Processor
For the Base
2/3 Cup Almond Flour
1/3 Cup Coconut Flour
4 Dates, Pitted
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil
1 Tsp of Vanilla Extract
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
Instructions
Combine the ingredients and blend well in a food processor. Press into your pan and then start working on the delicious middle layer.
Raw Almond Butter Centre
2 Cups Shredded Coconut
1/3 Cup Almond Butter
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1 Tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
Pop these goodies in your food processor and blend until well combined. Your mixture should be thick and smooth. Spoon out in the pan (on top of that awesome base you just made) and spread evenly. Want to add some frosting? Heck yes!
Banana Frosting
1 Banana
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
Instructions
Blend these ingredients in your food processor and spread evenly once more on the two layers eagerly awaiting a frosting crown. Refrigerate until firm and enjoy!
There you have it – a dessert that you can enjoy for breakfast, on the run (literally), or when you just want something sweet. Re-energizing never tasted so good!
Bon appetit my sweet friends,
Health and love,
Thought of the day: I can be kind to my body whilst being kind to my cravings.
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Do you love Almonds? What are your favourite almond-infused recipes? Let me know in the comments below!
Wanna hang out together throughout the week? Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook for daily healthspiration!
Want to look further into the awesomeness that is the Almond? Here are some links to get you started:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/5/995.short
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/106/11/1327.short
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002419.htm
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-Consumer/
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/potassium.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/486400-do-almonds-give-you-energy/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=20
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/1315812
