First Day Back and No Bake Energy Bars

Today I started back on my vegan diet.

It went great!

Until we went to Costco 

and I just had to have a couple bites of my husband's pizza.

Really, it was just a couple bites.

But since I really want my skin to glow,

I don't want to be indulging for a few weeks.

But like my mother (who wishes she were Scarlett O'Hara),

always says,"'Tomorrow is another day!"

Today I ate:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with quinoa, prunes and walnuts.

I throw some quinoa into the boiling water 

along with my oatmeal to get more protein.

I also had carrot juice with swiss chard, beet and celery. Yum!

My toddler loved it too!

Lunch: Kale with Udon noodles.

I really layered on the sesame oil and 

umeboshi plum vinegar so it tasted so yummy!

Snack: A COUPLE bites of cheese pizza. 

Talk about grease! 

Dinner: Sesame - Hiziki Croquette with Ginger -Tahini Dressing, 

a salad from Vegan Family Meals. 

A great way for me to eat sea vegetables.

They are some of the most nutritious foods.

This salad makes them taste like the superstar that they are.

Dessert: I found some strawberries in the fridge 

and ate them with chocolate chips.

Lazy version of chocolate dipped strawberries.

My toddler and I made these No-bake Energy Bars

I found from Do it Delicious.

They were a huge hit with my hubby and toddler,

but I wasn't too big on them. 

I think it was the flax meal or chia seed,

some flavor in there I'm not used to.

I'm not complaining.

If they love this healthy snack I'll make it for them anytime.

It's loaded with good stuff.

If I make it again I'll be using about 1/4 cup more 

brown rice syrup 

so it will stick better.

I substituted goji berries for shredded coconut 

since my hubby isn't a fan.

I had goji berries in the house,

but I'm sure any dried fruit would work.

Don't get me wrong, 

these are good,

I just would never eat them in the large quantities 

they were consuming them.

Thank you for all the encouraging comments 

and emails I received after my last post!

It feels good to have all your support!

And I hope I'm helping all of you 

take itty-bitty steps, or dramatic changes 

to your own healthy lifestyle!

Here's to living large!

(I believe that living a healthy lifestyle

increases the quality of life, not indulging in fatty foods.

But yeah, we got to have a couple bites sometimes.)

No-bake Energy Bars
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Yield: 14 bars

Ingredients:
cooking spray
¾ cup raw almonds
1 ¼ cups brown rice cereal
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
¼ cup flax meal
¼ cup raw chia seeds
½ cup brown rice syrup
6 tablespoons almond butter
½ cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Spray an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.

Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until evenly chopped. Transfer to a large bowl and combine with the rice cereal, oats, coconut, flax meal, and chia seeds.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the rice syrup and almond butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until melted and creamy. Pour over the oat mixture and stir until well combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Press evenly into the prepared pan and let cool completely (about 30 minutes). Grab the ends of the parchment and lift onto a cutting board. Slice into bars.