Looking for an easy and healthy snack you can make with your little one? Try these No Bake Peanut Coconut Date bars! They are filled with nourishing ingredients and natural sweetness and great for the whole family.

What’s in these bars?

Ground peanuts

I live in a small town in the middle of Spain. One the places I like to shop are small local shops. One shop in town I’ve nicknamed the Arabic shop because it’s run by a Moroccan. I like to go there for different ingredients that I don’t find at the supermarket. Every time I go I’ll see big cases of fresh herbs like cilantro and mint or a bucket of preserved lemons. This time, it was a big sack of peanuts.

When I saw those peanuts I knew they were a good deal so I scooped some in a bag, paid the man and went home thinking about what I could make with them.

The first thing though, was to soak and dry them. All nuts, grains and legumes need to soaked in order to neutralize the anti-nutrients found in them. When I was first learning about this the whole idea seemed daunting and a lot of work but actually I’ve learnt that it’s a practice that you need to incorporate into the way you prepare food. Once you’ve done it a few times, it becomes an easy part of baking cooking.

To do this, I poured them into a bowl and covered them with warm water and added salt. I left them overnight until the next day where I dehydrated them in the oven on the lowest setting for a few hours.

Next, I ground them and put them in a jar so they would be ready to go whenever I needed them.

Coconut

I use a lot of ground coconut in the kitchen. I like to make homemade coconut milk with it or use it in baking. Coconut is a health food. The flesh of the coconut is high in B vitamins as well as vitamin E and vitamin C. It’s also packed with essential minerals like iron and zinc.

Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin seeds are some of my new favourite snack foods. I buy a lot of squash and pumpkin to use in dishes weekly. They are so versatile while also low in carbohydrates while also being very filling. So it’s a wonderful vegetable to eat if you’re trying to lose weight! Here’s one way I like to use pumpkin.

Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc and a good source of protein. I added a quarter cup in this recipe for a little extra crunch.

Dates

I grew up for part of my life in North Africa and so am with dates specifically from this region. These dates are soft, chewy, and almost taste like caramel. So they make baking with, especially making snack bars easy because they form a natural bind with the the dry ingredients.

This little fruit is a natural source of sugar and packed full of vitamins and minerals.

Did you know that dates may actually shorten labour? I can attest to this fact because during my last pregnancy with our son, one snack I ate almost everyday (especially during my last trimester) were a few dates with half a glass of Kefir. I like to mix the taste and sweet and sour and it’s actually the way the Arabs eat their dates too.

I laboured for 18+ hours with our first child and did not consume dates during that pregnancy very much. With our second, I went into labour at 2am and our son was born at around 5:45am! So that’s a complete labour and delivery from start to finish in 3 hours and 45 minutes!

I’m not saying that eating dates regularly during the pregnancy was the only reason. I was also a lot more active during the pregnancy, but I believe it had something to do with such a short labour!

Honey

Whenever possible I like to use raw honey. Here in Spain, honey is sold and named by the flower of the plant that the bees collect their nectar from. The whole process of the way bees make honey is something only the Lord could have designed because it’s amazing at how each little bee does it’s own job to do inside the beehive. One of my favourite types is rosemary honey. It’s flavour is so distinct to other types and was actually a known favourite among the Greeks and Romans.

Honey is a natural source of probiotics, antibiotics and is very nutritious.

Coconut oil

Coconut oil I use liberally in the kitchen. It was one of the main changes that happened when we changed the way we were eating. Substituting healthy fats for the unhealthy ones was a top priority. To get into all the health benefits of coconut oil would be a separate post.

Coconut oil is something I have come to love not only in the kitchen but also in making personal care products or in our bathroom. I use it after a shower as a “face cream” and it keeps my skin smooth and even. Here’s a few reasons why it’s a good idea to use it as a skin moisturizer.

Cinnamon

I talk about our love for cinnamon here. It’s a versatile spice and works really well in sweet foods. It’s also full of health benefits so I use it often. Another way is in this homemade Morocccan Spice mix recipe.

No bake Peanut Coconut Date bars recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups ground peanuts
• 1 cup dried ground coconut
• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
• 5 dates
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbs honey
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup hot water

Directions:

1. In a small pan heat water and bring it to a boil
2. Make sure dates are pitted and put them in a small bowl
3. Cover the dates with the hot water
4. In a large mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients
5. Add the coconut oil and honey to the small pan and gently heat while continuously mixing
6. Place the water and date mixture into a blender and blend until smooth
7. Add the blended date mixture to the liquid and stir well
8. Add the liquid mixture to the mixing bowl with dry ingredients and mix well
9. Place mixture into a small baking dish and press down well with the spatula
10. Place in the freezer for 15 mins
11. Move to the fridge for 30 more minutes
12. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week
13. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nurse, midwife, or professional health coach. I am not offering any medical or health advise. I’m just a natural minded mama looking for natural answers to motherhood and raising little ones. All opinions are my own. Please consult your healthcare practitioner for all health related questions.