My top 5 Protein Bars

RX Bar: Hands down the cleanest, simplest bar I've found yet. Their tagline is "No B.S" and it's absolutely true. These bars are full of amazing ingredients and come in bunch of different flavors! They contain egg whites for a hefty 21 grams of protein (awesome!), so if you're vegan, I wouldn't recommend this brand. They are gluten free and dairy free though! Another big plus: they carry them at Trader Joes now!

GoMacro Bars: The Macro Bars are my #1. I love that they have a plant based protein blend (12 grams!), and that my favorite flavor uses fair trade chocolate chips! All ingredients are organic, plus they taste like a chewy cookie, hence why these are my favorite bar of them all. They're vegan, gluten free, dairy free, and non-GMO. Pretty much everything you could ever want in a protein bar.

Shanti Bars: I'm kind of obsessed with how unique and different these bars are. They're packed full of superfoods like spirulina, maca, cacao and acai, plus they're raw, paleo, vegan, non-gmo, and 100% organic... pretty much the works. They have a bunch of different "themed" flavors, like "detox", "fat burner", "vitality", which I personally love since I can pick one for whatever mood I'm in or what I specifically need that day. 

Amrita Energy Bars: These are similar to the Shanti brand in that they are also packed with superfoods like maca, chia seeds, himalayan salt, and more. I'm not as obsessed with the Amrita flavors like I am the Shanti, but these are a wonderful option for anyone with pretty much any allergy. They are free of most allergens, including gluten, peanuts, dairy, eggs, etc. They're super flavorful and there is added protein, but it can be anywhere from 7 to 15 grams depending on what flavor you buy. These are also great for children!

Kind Bars: These have been through the ringer and back with the FDA claiming they couldn't be stamped "healthy" because they had too much bad fat in them. Luckily, Kind proved the FDA wrong on that one, and these remain one of my absolute go-tos in terms of a snack that's full of healthy fats, some protein, and yumminess! They're a little higher in sugar than I'd like, but they for sure cure my afternoon sweet cravings in a healthier way than most other alternatives.

Honorable mentions:

• Primal Kitchen Dark Chocolate Collagen Bars: I tried these, and though I don't love the consistency, they're a great way to get your collagen (post on that coming soon!)
• Sakara Empower Bars: I haven't tried these, but am dying to!
• This Bar Saves Lives
• Larabar: There are a popular pick, but they're not my favorite, although this flavor sounds pretty incredible (and anti-inflammatory!)
• Cliff Bars: I can't help but love the peanut butter chocolate chip one, but these really aren't all that great for you because of the sugar content. I do splurge and have one occasionally though!
• Perfect Bar: there are some dairy ingredients which I don't love, but these also slip in your greens, like kale and alfalfa.
• Greens Plus Bars: Another superfood bar I'm dying to try. Hopefully they don't taste too green though...

Energy Balls

Energy balls. I'm not sure if that's what they're actually called usually, but I like to call them that because they're full of good for you ingredients that will boost your energy and hold you over until your next meal. They're the perfect pre-workout snack. They also take about 10 minutes to make max, and you can throw them in your purse for a quick snack during the day. 

Almond and cacao are what gives these their flavor. They're sweetened with dates too, so they won't spike your blood sugar. Only 5 easy ingredients and you're done. Feel free to throw in additional nuts or powders or anything you desire. That's what is so great about these - you don't need to stick to a specific recipe. Read on below to make them, and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 2 cups medjool dates
• 2.5 tablespoons almond butter
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons raw cacao powder

Directions:

• Put the almonds in a food processor and process until they are completely crushed up.
• Add the dates and the coconut oil to the food processor, and continue to pulse until its fully mixed.
• Lastly, add the almond butter and cacao to the food processor and continue to blend all ingredients together.
• Take about a tablespoon of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Do this with the rest of the mixture until no more remains. 
• Place the balls in the freezer for about an hour. Remove them and store in the fridge in an air tight container. Enjoy!!!

*Adapted from Deliciously Ella

Paleo Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Heavenly is the only word I can use to describe this. It is the most amazing banana bread I think I've ever had, and yet its paleo, refined sugar free, and so perfectly moist. It's also the perfect way to get rid of your old bananas... I have this weird thing about only eating ones that are slightly green, so I end up having a lot of old brown bananas often. 

Whenever I bake, I try to substitute gluten free flours and refined sugar substitutes. Coconut flour is one of my favorite ingredients - it makes the best cookies, best pancakes, and now the best banana bread. There is a ton of coconut in this recipe, but you can't even tell. It's really quite healthy to be honest. You could probably have a piece for breakfast if you really wanted...

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs (get organic!)
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (canned)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1.5 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup ripe, mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (or whatever add in you want)

Recipe:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a baking pan (I'd use butter or ghee). 
• Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Another option would be to put them all in a bowl and use a hand mixer.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until when you insert a toothpick it comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!

*Adapted from Meaningful Eats