No Bake Cacao Cookie Bars

Happy Monday all! Hope you had a wonderful weekend & HAPPY Summer! I'm excited for this season and all the fun that will come with it. Chris & I have been talking about events coming up the next few months inspired by yesterday's holiday (Father's Day), reflecting that these will be our last with just our little family of two. It's bitter sweet thinking that this time next year I will watch my husband hold his first child on a special day celebrating all he does for our family. I'm looking forward to spending time with family each weekend the next few months and making as many memories as possible. 

The baby has been so active lately and I feel like my belly is stretching to incredible limits, I often say week to week to Chris, "I don't know how it's going to get any bigger". I know that it will continue to grow however, it seems impossible. After cleaning all this weekend I am feeling how exhausting it can be to do while pregnant. My belly is growing making it increasingly difficult to bend at the waist to do things such as laundry or putting dishes away into low cabinets or even carrying things up from the basement. My belly is quite cumbersome and it has been slowing me down. I just take my time, catch my breath, and press through. It's so amazing what my body is doing right now though, moms- you ROCK! 

Today I wanted to share with you a bit of a nutrition boost cookie snack that I made a couple weeks ago and really enjoyed. I thought they would be perfect to share right now and I personally prefer to store them in the fridge which is perfect with these hot temps. This is a family recipe but with some added nutrient dense players to include hemp hearts, chia seeds, and milled flax. This adds some omega 3's, fiber, protein, minerals, phytochemical, & antioxidants. Not to mention some added some extra crunchy texture & flavor. I was quite pleased how these turned out and just had to share. They would be great for an after school snack, dessert for kids after lunch, or even to pair with some eggs or a protein rich item for breakfast. Thanks for reading all! 

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbsp. nut butter (I used Manna Organics Pecan butter)

2 Tbsp. cacao powder

1/2 Tbsp. milled golden flax

1/2 Tbsp. chia seeds

1/2 Tbsp. hemp hearts

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups oats

How to:

Combine sugar, butter, milk, and nut butter in a pot, bring to a boil and cook ~ 1 min.

Line a small baking pan (8x8) with wax paper and set aside. 

Remove from heat. Place pan on a oven mitt to protect hard surface below. Add cacao, vanilla extract, milled flax, chia seeds, hemp hearts, and oats. Mix quickly and press into an even layer on the pan. Allow to cool, cut into desired sized bars, and enjoy!