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Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

· Natalie 46 Comments

Homemade Larabars in a new favorite mint chocolate flavor. These nut-free energy bars are a healthy high-carb low-fat snack with just 5 ingredients!

Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

The elusive exclusive Larabar flavor: Mint Chip Brownie.

It’s not on the website. It’s not in grocery stores. It’s priced so high on Amazon I thought it was a pack of 16 not 5. It’s like the Bigfoot of fruit and nut bars. Does it exist or not??

It does. It’s just a Target exclusive and they are keeping it rather hush hush. How dare they keep mint chocolate chewy snacking from us!

Where I live, the closest Target is not that close to me. Further than I can reasonably justify driving for a snack. There is an entire bridge between me and it. And it’s not a short bridge. Especially further than I can justify to drive for a snack that is so easy to make at home.

Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

Homemade Larabars

Compared to last week’s DIY Clif Bars, these are ridiculously easy. And those were already pretty easy. You may be thinking, “What’s with this current snack bar kick?” It’s really more that I live on a permanent snacking kick, I just try to control myself most of the time and post other stuff too.

Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

Oats or nuts. Typically Larabars are made with nuts–a mix of almonds and cashews. But I love oats, most of you love oats, and homemade Larabars work great with oats! They are cheaper and lower in fat for my HCLF friends. You could still use nuts though if it makes you happy. Just another added bonus of making them yourself–choices!

Mint extract or oil. On my last mint recipe, many of you commented suggesting I use peppermint essential oil instead of mint extract or flavoring. Great idea! It’s much less processed with no additives. And it’s not too pricey either, especially since you only use a few drops at a time. I’m using up what I have right now, and then I will probably start using the oil too. Extract, flavoring, oil–use whatever form of minty flavor you like.

Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

Can't find the new Mint Chip Brownie Larabar flavor? Make them! Click To Tweet Print
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Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

★★★★★ 4.9 from 7 reviews
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 bars 1x
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Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup pitted medjool dates
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 2 tbsps cacao powder
  • 1/4 tsp mint extract or 1–2 drops peppermint oil
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
  2. Process until it forms a ball.
  3. Shape into a rectangle. Cut into bars.
  4. Refrigerate.

Mint Chip Brownie Homemade Larabars

DIY Chocolate Chip Clif Bars

· Natalie 52 Comments

Make your own homemade Clif Bars! This gluten-free, soy-free, vegan recipe makes for an easy healthy snack, plus the flavor is easy to customize with different mix-ins or even a high protein option.

Homemade Clif Bars | Vegan, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Chip Recipe

Request for a homemade Clif Bar recipe? I can do that! But I better actually try them first.

Until about 4 days ago I had never had a Clif Bar. I was always more of a Lunabar or Larabar kinda girl. Larabars are still my favorite, but I’m always willing to snack for the sake of recipe research!

Homemade Clif Bars | Vegan, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Chip Recipe

To be thorough, I wanted to try every flavor with chocolate chip in the name. So I sampled the chocolate chip and coconut chocolate chip (they were out of chocolate chip peanut). I do like chocolate and coconut together usually, but not in this form. So I went with just straight chocolate chip for my homemade Clif Bars.

Half a bite into my Clif Bar sampling sesh I already completely understand the appeal of these things. They are chewy and crunchy and chocolatey in all the right places.

My tastebuds loved them. My stomach did NOT! I’ve had issues with soy in the past, but I never imagined these things would give me such an immediate reaction. My stomach hurt for about 2 hours afterwards. Good thing I can make them at home and soy-free because I will probably not be chowing down on the store-bought kind again for a while.

Homemade Clif Bars | Vegan, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Chip RecipeHomemade Clif Bars | Vegan, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Chip Recipe

About these Homemade Clif Bars

– They are gluten-free and vegan of course.
– They are low fat and nut-free with no nut butters or oils needed. I used extra date paste to take care of all the binding.
– They contain oat bran for more fiber. If you don’t have it or don’t care to use it, sub oat flour instead.
– Since Clif Bars are meant to be a protein bar, I added some plant-based protein powder. I went with my favorite brand, Kachava. You can use any unflavored or vanilla vegan protein powder, or leave it out and substitute with oat flour instead.
– Or you could make them peanut butter chocolate chip by using powdered peanut butter in place of the protein powder. It will add protein and delicious PB flavor!
– Crunchy bits are a must, so I used brown rice crisp cereal to recreate that texture. Puffed rice cereal will not work as well as the crispy kind.
– They are SWEET! Dates + coconut nectar makes these quite sweet, but I was trying to stay as true to Clif Bar flavor as possible and the first ingredients is a sweetener.
– They are delicious!

Homemade Clif Bars | Vegan, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Chip Recipe

Now I’ve DIYed them, it’s your turn. And if you do, post a pic on Instagram with #feastingonfruit so I can see those chocolate chip snack bar beauties!

Make your own homemade Clif Bars! This #vegan & soy-free recipe is healthier and just as delicious as store-boughtClick To Tweet Print
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DIY Chocolate Chip Clif Bars

★★★★★ 4.5 from 8 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 8 bars 1x
  • Category: snack
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: american
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Ingredients

Scale

Wet Ingredients

  • 12 pitted Medjool dates
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/3 cup coconut nectar or maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice crisp cereal
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup vegan vanilla protein powder (or oat flour if you prefer)
  • 1/4 cup oat bran
  • 2 tbsps flax seed meal
  • 1/4 cup vegan mini chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300F.
  2. Blend all the wet ingredients until smooth.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
  4. Add the wet to the dry. Mix.
  5. Stir in the chocolate chips.
  6. Shape the dough into a long log that is about 3 inches wide and about 1/2 inch high.
  7. Using a knife or a pastry cutter, divide the log into 8 bars (see video if you are confused).
  8. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  9. Bake for 20 mins at 300F.
  10. Cool. Keep in an airtight container in the fridge.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 bar
  • Calories: 275
  • Sugar: 28g
  • Fat: 4g
  • Saturated Fat: 2g
  • Carbohydrates: 44g
  • Fiber: 5g
  • Protein: 7g

Keywords: snack, energy bar, protein bar, clif bars, chocolate chip, easy, vegan, gluten-free

Homemade Clif Bars | Vegan, Gluten-Free, Chocolate Chip Recipe

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Purple Power Parfait

· Natalie 29 Comments

This vegan purple sweet potato recipe turns those tubers into a creamy pudding, perfect for topping with blueberry and coconut layers for a vibrant parfait!

Purple Power Parfait | Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Recipe

Sometimes I create a recipe to highlight a specific flavor, a specific ingredient.

Sometimes I create a recipe to revamp a favorite not-so-healthy something.

Sometimes I create a recipe because my imagination just conjures it from who knows where and it sounds too good not to make into real life.

But sometimes I create a recipe because I just really love purple.

Purple Power Parfait | Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Recipe

This time it’s a little of the both of the last two. But mostly the purple one.

My thought process went something like this…
I have a purple sweet potato, I should make a purple smoothie bowl.
What else is purple?…blueberry nicecream!
Maybe an ombre parfait like this pretty one from Instagram (even though mine kinda turned into more of a color block situation).
Toppings? Toppings? Oooh flowers are pretty and I just planted some purple ones!

Yep, that’s pretty much how it came to be. Well I left out the in-between parts where I was singing embarrassingly loud. Empty house means kitchen time + jams obvs.

Purple Power Parfait | Vegan Purple Sweet Potato RecipePurple Power Parfait (vegan)

This purple sweet potato recipe starts with a sweet potato pudding. Maple syrup to sweeten and with a touch of vanilla bean powder, this pudding has a very unique you-have-to-try-it kinda flavor.

Next is the lighter, colder blueberry nice cream flavor. One of my favorite nicecream flavors of all time, but even better next to that sweet potato pudding.

And finally the lightest, fluffiest coconut layer. Oh, and then decorations of course!

And if you don’t have a purple sweet potato you could use a white one or even an orange one, your tastebuds won’t care about the clashing colors. The purple ones are really delicious though if you can find them!

Purple Power Parfait | Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Recipe

If you try this purple sweet potato recipe I gotta see it! Share it on Instagram with #feastingonfruit so I won’t miss it!

A #vegan recipe featuring the beauty of purple sweet potatoes layered into a vibrant parfait! ?Click To Tweet Print
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Purple Power Parfait

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 2 servings 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

Purple Sweet Potato Pudding

  • 1 medium purple sweet potato
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1–2 tbsps maple syrup (to taste)

Blueberry Nicecream

  • 3–4 frozen bananas
  • 1/3 cup frozen blueberries

To Decorate

  • Coconut Whipped Cream or So Delicious Cocowhip
  • Freeze dried blueberries
  • Pretty purple flowers

Instructions

  1. Purple Sweet Potato Pudding: Bake and peel the sweet potato. Let it cool
  2. Blend all the ingredients.
  3. Divide between two jars
  4. Blueberry Nicecream: Blend all the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  5. Scoop into your jars on top of the pudding.
  6. Decorate: Top each jar with a dollop of coconut whipped cream and garnish with blueberries and flowers.
  7. Enjoy immediately!

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Purple Power Parfait | Vegan Purple Sweet Potato Recipe

Vegan Thin Mints

· Natalie 48 Comments

Healthy Vegan Thin Mints that still have all the chocolatey girl scout cookie flavor. This homemade freezer recipe is gluten-free, oil-free, and easy to make!

Vegan Thin Mints (gluten-free + oil-free)

Mint recipes make me feel like a bad healthy food blogger.

I should use fresh mint leaves. I should like fresh mint leaves. They are unprocessed, a whole food, green, natural, straight from the earth. They even smell wonderful. But they taste just too…plant-y. Too much like I’m eating shrubbery.

So I always end up using the extract. The stuff in a bottle that’s been processed. No vitamins or minerals or nutritional value. But it tastes so perfectly artificially minty fresh, dang it! And it gives these cookies the classic thin mint flavor (because we can be pretty sure the Girl Scouts aren’t using any leaves in their cookies).

I don’t like having to admit it, but it’s true. I feel better now that you know this and we can move on to the cookies.

Vegan Thin Mints (gluten-free + oil-free)

I’m pretty sure that the Girl Scout thin mints are actually vegan already. But they still contain high fructose corn syrup and palm shortening and lots of other ingredients that don’t exactly scream delicious. So let’s reinvent Vegan Thin Mints and make them a bit healthier…

Vegan Thin Mints (gluten-free + oil-free)

Vegan Thin Mints Made Healthier

Ever since these Oreos happened, I’ve been plotting a minty twist using those same crunchy cookies. It just took me a little while to work out the chocolate coating part. Of course you could just melt vegan chocolate chips, add mint extract, and cookie coat away. But since HCLF is my style, I always like to offer a low fat option too. The trick: freeze them!

Thin mints are best from the freezer anyways. Eating a thin mint at room temp is practically a waste of a cookie. It just so happens a healthy fat-free frozen chocolate coating is quite easy to make with dates, cacao, and water.

The coating can be made with water or plant milk. Any version will harden just fine in the freezer, and the dates will prevent it from becoming break-a-tooth solid. The higher fat content milk you use, the creamier the coating will be. I find light coconut milk to yield a really nice smooth but still fairly low fat coating for these Vegan Thin Mints.

Vegan Thin Mints (gluten-free + oil-free)

Did I mention these taste just like thin mints?! And that they are ridiculously good, a near addictive level of delicious. And they melt really fast especially if your house is as warm as mine right not, so keep them in the freezer and eat them straight from there.

Healthy #Vegan Thin Mints with all the chocolatey girl scout cookie flavor but are gluten-free and low-fat...Click To Tweet Print
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Vegan Thin Mints

★★★★★ 5 from 4 reviews
  • Prep Time: 255 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 265 minutes
  • Yield: 10 cookies 1x
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Ingredients

Scale

Cookie

  • 1/2 cup brown rice flour
  • 1/3 cup cacao powder
  • 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp mint extract

Chocolate Coating

  • 8 pitted medjool dates
  • 1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk
  • 1/2 tsp mint extract
  • 2 tbsps cacao powder

Instructions

  1. Cookies: Preheat the oven to 350F.
  2. Mix together all the ingredients to form a thick dough.
  3. Roll into balls. Arrange on a lined pan. Flatten with a jar or cup and a piece of wax paper to prevent sticking.
  4. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F.
  5. Let them cool before coating.
  6. Coating: Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
  7. Place a cookie in the bowl and flip to evenly coat. Remove any excess coating. Place on a pan/plate lined with wax paper.
  8. Repeat with all the cookies.
  9. Freeze for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
  10. Eat straight from the freezer.

Vegan Thin Mints (gluten-free + oil-free)

Fruit-Sweetened Lemonade

· Natalie 83 Comments

This healthy lemonade recipe contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners. All it takes is fruit juice to make this summertime sip delicious and sweet!

Healthy Lemonade Recipe | 100% Fruit Sweetened

If you think about it, the phrase “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a bit close minded.

You could make lemon bars or lemon poppyseed muffins or lemon sherbet or lemon cake or lemon meringues even! Lemonade is not the only option.

Perhaps it was just written knowing that if we are having a sour day we are not likely to put much effort into making anything extravagant. Lemonade does wins for simplicity. So I guess it’s good that philosophical proverbs take laziness into account.

And another potential issue is what if life gives you lemons but no water with those lemons? Maybe you’re in a dessert. Or no sugar? What are you supposed to do now, make disgusting lemonade that would just make your day worse?

Despite all the holes I just poked in that phrase, I really do agree with the meaning. Optimism is most important when it is the hardest to muster.

Life didn’t give me lemons in the metaphorical sense, but I am making lemonade today. In fact no one gave me lemons. I had to buy them. “When you buy lemons from the grocery store, make lemonade”…nope doesn’t sound nearly as profound.

Healthy Lemonade Recipe | 100% Fruit Sweetened

The Sweetness in this Healthy Lemonade Recipe

Don’t worry, I didn’t put dates in the lemonade. (How hideous would that color be??) I know that’s what “fruit-sweetened” usually means around here, but this sunshine-colored sip is sweetened with a much juicier form of fruit: white grape juice!

White grape juice is one of the most neutral flavors of juice, and it’s quite sweet. It’s often concentrated and used to sweeten packaged things for just that reason. Replacing much of the water in your standard lemonade recipe with white grape juice makes for the perfect sweet tangy taste and not even a hint of grape. No sugar necessary.

I used a 2:1 ratio of white grape juice to water in this healthy lemonade recipe, but you can adjust the sweetness level quite easily by adding more or less grape juice. Just make sure you keep the liquid total at 3 cups per 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Did that just get way too confusing and math-y? I hope it makes sense.

The next best juice options if you can’t find white grape juice would be pineapple and apple. Those will both have a more pronounced flavor, but still taste good.

Healthy Lemonade Recipe | 100% Fruit SweetenedHealthy Lemonade Recipe | 100% Fruit Sweetened

Giveaway

The clever little lemon cover you see above and in the video is from a really fun and quirky little website called Catching Fireflies. They have lots of creative gifts, inspirational home decor, and clever kitchen gadgets.

So when your homemade lemonade ends up using the juice of exactly 3 and 1/2 lemons this little stretchy reusable food saver can take care of the other half. It’s also really helpful if you drink lemon water in the mornings and only use half a lemon to protect the other half from fridge funk till the next day.

They have tons of other fun kitchen things that caught my eye like magic soap to get the scent of onion and garlic off your hands, an oil-free microwave popcorn maker, a clip on dip holder for your hummus or guac, and this adorable spoon rest. You get the idea–fun stuff!

They were kind enough to do a giveaway for one of my readers, so enter below to win a $48 gift card to the Catching Fireflies online shop! (U.S. only)

Or you can use the discount code FRUIT to get 20% off any purchase from now until June 16.

Fruit-Sweetened Lemonade! No sugar. No artificial sweeteners. Just fruit makes this summertime sip healthy and sweetClick To Tweet Print
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Fruit-Sweetened Lemonade

★★★★★ 5 from 6 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 3 1x
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 cups white grape juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • Pinch of turmeric (optional)

Instructions

  1. Blend or shake or stir all the ingredients to combine.
  2. Enjoy! Keep in the refrigerator.

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Healthy Lemonade Recipe | 100% Fruit Sweetened