I truly believe everyone comes into our lives for a reason: sometimes it’s positive, sometimes it’s negative, but it is always with a purpose and usually to teach us something. I began going to a gym called “InLiv” soon after I moved to Calgary. The trainers started out as these mean, torturous humans who reveled at the site of me struggling. 4 years later, they have become my close friends who have pushed me to new limits and opened my eyes to a whole new world of “healthy and happy”. It doesn’t hurt that they are the perfect taste-testers for many of my recipes as well!
I met one of my new trainers, Kori, last year and we quickly became close friends when we realized a similar passion: healthy food! My training sessions went from tabata training to tabata training while consumed in our latest farmers market finds or drooling over what we had for dinner last night. We enrolled at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition at the same time and have turned many holistic nutrition study sessions into wine nights with long talks of our future. Kori is a beautiful soul and recently started lecturing at the local women’s shelter about nutrition and offering life coaching sessions there. When she mentioned she was looking for a healthy but decadent treat for the women, I knew exactly what to make for them! Spiced Carrot Cake bars with caramel drizzle and why not…a vegan vanilla cinnamon “frosting” as a second option.
The funny thing is I didn’t even try to make these raw or vegan – they just turned out that way! It’s always a good sign when everyone at the gym gobbles up my food experiments – and that they did! Dudes included.
Carrots are a great immune-boosting food along with the ginger and orange juice found in these bars. Bugs Bunny’s favourite vegetable is the best source of beta-carotene which boosts the immune system by stimulating the production of immune cells that protect the body from infections and reduces the risk of many cancers. With whole-food nutrition, it is the synergy of all the nutrients together in the food that provides these various benefits, as with carrots and the protection against certain cancers. They also help protect against cardiovascular disease, slow aging, and even stimulate libido – yeah baby!
If you are looking for a post-workout snack, these are your guys. The hemp seeds, brazil nuts and walnuts provide enough protein to repair your muscles after a workout while offering those essential fats I’ve been preaching about for brain health. Hemp seeds are also an amazing superfood, providing all essential amino acids making it a “complete” protein; a great plant-based protein source. Yes, these are sweet, however, I used dates, which are a natural, whole-food source of sugar. Unlike processed sugars like white sugar and agave, dates provide a steady stream of energy so as not to cause such a drastic spike in blood sugar. The cinnamon provides a jumpstart for your metabolism as well as being a digestive aid. Not too shabby for one little bar, right?!
Kori came into my life as a personal trainer, but has become a friend, a mentor and has given me motivation to start this blog. She has been one of my biggest supporters and I am forever grateful to her for that. Please go check out her facebook page for fun and interesting health tips: Move Eat Hug (I mean, how stinkin cute is that name anyway!) and stayed tuned for her holistic health and wellness business!
I hope the women at the shelter liked these bars as much as the trainers at the gym did! If you suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease or are watching your sugar intake, I would forgo the caramel drizzle and vanilla cinnamon frosting. Don’t worry, the bars are delicious enough on their own!
- 2 cups brazil nuts
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 cup hemp seeds
- 1 cup ground flax seeds (or buy whole flax seeds and grind yourself)
- 2 cups dried mission figs, chopped
- 2 cups grated carrot (approximately 2 large carrots or 4 small/medium carrots)
- ½ cup oats (optional)
- 1/2 cup date paste/mash or 12 dates, pits removed
- 7 Tablespoons fresh orange juice (approximately 1 ½ oranges)
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 3 teaspoons orange zest (zest the oranges above before juicing)
- 2 ½ Tablespoons cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- Little bit of coconut oil
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews + water to soak
- 1 cup date paste/mash
- 1 cup pure filtered water
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup raw unsalted cashews + water to soak
- ¼ cup date paste/mash or 6 dates
- 3/4 cup pure filtered water
- ¼ cup tahini
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- In a food processor, pulse brazil nuts and walnuts until ground into small chunks and pieces as small as the hemp seeds. Transfer to a large bowl and add hemp seeds, flax seeds, figs, grated carrot, and oats. Mix to combine.
- In the food processor, blend dates and orange juice until the dates have turned into a runny paste; add one cup of the nut and carrot mixture and blend again until well combined. Add to the bowl of nuts, seeds and carrot.
- In a separate, small bowl, combine ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Add to the bowl of nuts, seeds and carrot.
- Get your hands dirty and mix all ingredients thoroughly until it has formed a uniform mixture. Using a paper towel and a bit of coconut oil, oil a 13 x 9 inch pan with the coconut oil. Spread the carrot cake bar mixture evenly into the pan and ensure it is compact. Transfer to the fridge and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cut into bars separate with parchment paper or cut out as needed. The bars will keep in the fridge for approximately one week.
- Soak cashews in water overnight in the fridge. After at least 8 hours or overnight, drain cashews. Combine cashews and remaining ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until well combined.
- *If you don't have a strong blender, you may need to mash the date paste or dates into the water before adding it to the blender.
- Soak cashews in water overnight in the fridge. After at least 8 hours or overnight, drain cashews. Combine cashews and remaining ingredients in a high-speed blender and blend until well combined.
- *If you don't have a strong blender, you may need to mash the date paste or dates into the water before adding it to the blender.
- *I have made these without the oats before, and they are just as good!
stacy - Oh these sound fantastic! I want one right now
Love & Garnish - Did you give them a try Stacy?! What did you think?!
dott Serena Missori - Great recipe.