Looking for a sweet and quick pick-me-up? I am excited to share this awesome new recipe with you! These little squares are packed with protein, essential omega fats, minerals, vitamins and more.
If you’ve delved into my Beauty Detox Power book, you will have come across the chapter where I get into the “Foods and Practices to Balance the Individual Chakras”, and my intent is to help contribute suggestions that will improve your overall health and get you to your ideal weight.
When we think of Ajna (third eye/sixth chakra), we think of energy. This energy is associated with higher intuition, perception, insight, wisdom, dreams and psychic abilities. It also has a connection to our visualization, focus and concentration.
Purple/indigo foods resonate with the vibration of this chakra and that is why a key part of this recipe is the Medjool date! Dark purple foods contain an antioxidant know as anthocyanin, which helps protect your brain and nervous system. :)
So let’s focus on a couple of the main ingredients…
Dates and their Health Benefits
Medjool dates are first of all a great source of fiber. This fiber helps to cleanse the body, as well as regulate blood sugar and levels of cholesterol, and of course eliminate our beauty enemy: constipation.
Medjool dates are also rich in copper, which is an important mineral that the body uses to help absorb iron, form collagen and red blood cells, create a healthy nervous system and generate energy.
Another bonus (which I’m a fan of) is that Medjool dates are great in controlling addiction for sweet foods. Their high fiber content helps to keep you full longer- curbing the cravings.They are super sweet themselves, but unlike empty white cane sugar, at least they contain fiber and minerals and are a natural, unprocessed food grown in nature.
Thanks to loads of both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber and plenty of amino acids, dates aid in keeping a healthy digestive system.
What About Poppy Seeds?
We know poppy seeds add color and crunch to almost any baked goods, but did you know you also gain nutrients, even from a small amount? They not only contain some niacin and folate, but are a great source of minerals. *Note: 1 teaspoon provides measurable amounts of calcium, iron and zinc.
In addition to carrying oxygen throughout your body, iron also stores it in muscles so that it’s readily available when they need extra oxygen for increased activity. Our immune systems need iron to work properly and it’s used to build proteins and neurotransmitters.
You may not need large amounts of zinc, but it certainly is important! You definitely need to consume the daily requirement since your body doesn’t store zinc and it must be available to fill significant jobs in the body. Zinc is also needed to support the structure of proteins and for the production and development of new cells.
I had all of this in mind when I thought of these small yet powerful little bars. Let’s face it, when it comes to cravings, it’s difficult to find tasty energy bars without all the processed junk that we find in most store bought brands (ie shady vegetable oils of various sorts, protein isolates, fractionated syrups, etc. etc. Yuck!).
With all of this and more, who could not want to give these goodies a GO?!
Gather all your ingredients (see full recipe below).
Process all ingredients in a food processor into a chunky mixture.
Line a small (6 inch x 6 inch), square glass dish with clear wrap, pressing the mixture down evenly into the dish with enough wrap hanging over the sides. Use the hanging wrap as a “handle” to lift the plastic out of the dish and invert the square mixture onto a cutting board.
Cut into 9 even squares, and pack into a BPA-free container.
These are great for snacking on at work, at home or for a picnic…and your kids will love them also! :)
Check out the full recipe…
Poppy Seed & Date Energy Squares
Ingredients
- 7 large Medjool dates pitted
- 2 Tbs. poppy seeds
- 2 Tbs. raisins
- 1 Tbs. raw pumpkin seeds
- 1 Tbs. hemp seeds
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Process all ingredients in a food processor into a chunky mixture.
- Line a small (6 inch x 6 inch), square glass dish with clear wrap, pressing the mixture down evenly into the dish with enough wrap hanging over the sides. Use the hanging wrap as a “handle” to lift the plastic out of the dish and invert the square mixture onto a cutting board.
- Cut into 9 even squares, and pack into a BPA-free container.
In love and health,
Kimberly
Fat and fruit? Isn’t that a bad beauty pairing and not good for digestion?
Hi Ashley…I know the whole food combining things can be very daunting but here’s a link (http://bit.ly/21Wo1Xw), that you might find interesting, regarding this very subject. Check it out and let me know what you think. Sending lots of love! ;)
Hi Kimberly!
Thanks for this awesome recipe :) i currently don’t have a food processor, would a vitamix work with this recipe at all? Thanks so much!
Just made this and it didn’t stick together for cutting into squares. More of a crumble. Possibly because I used California dates instead of medjool (what I had on hand). Still, it is absolutely delicious and I will use it to top yoghurt or just eat plain. Next time I’ll double it. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Jade…thanks for tuning in and for trying my Energy Squares. So happy you liked them. Try making them with the Medjool Dates and see if it makes a difference with how they hold up. Sending lots of love! ;)
These were tasty, I used a regular blender, it worked fine. Any idea if they freeze well or they shelf life when refrigerated? I also send with my 14 yr old for energy before or after soccer games! Thank you!
Hi Laurie and thanks so much for your feedback. Happy to hear your 14 year old likes them too. You can freeze these and just let them come back to room temperature before eating. When refrigerated these should keep for a week, if not longer. All the ingredients are raw and will do well. They don’t last long in my house. Sending lots of love! ;)
I’ve made these several times and have been meaning to leave my feedback for a while. They make great camping/hiking snacks and something I really enjoy while doing yard-work in the summer. I love the chewy-crunchy texture and the cinnamon is perfect!
The first time I made these I realized too late that I dumped in mustard seed instead of poppy seed XD rookie mistake! lol
After the first batch I got right I found that oiling my hands with a tiny bit of coconut oil makes life a little less sticky
Hi Natalie Z and thanks so much for leaving your feedback and sharing your rookie mistake (we’ve all been there)! ;) So happy to hear you like these squares, and I agree, they are great to have on hand to grab when you need a quick energy boost. Sending lots of love to you!
Should the poppy seeds be soaked prior to blending or not soaked all? A little confused since you book talks about soaking all nuts and seeds. Just wondering g since I made these and I soaked the seeds and the bars are really mushy but totally delish!!
Hi J and thanks for checking out my recipe. You do not need to soak the poppy seeds, but if you like the texture, then go for it. You can also grind them so they becomes a powder but it’s not necessary. I personally like the little crunch they supply to this recipe but every recipe will call for a different process. Give it a try in different ways and see which way you like the best. Lots of love and support! ;)