My daughter has just recently discovered Kraft peanut butter* and I am one pb&j sandwich away from developing a 12-step program to get her off the stuff.  She begs for it at breakfast every morning and literally vibrates when she sees it.  For years now I’ve only been buying natural peanut butter because I love it and it’s healthier.  Then while grocery shopping last week Mairead asked if we could try the stuff with the bear on it.  My mother always allowed me to throw whatever snacks I wanted into the shopping cart, and because I like to keep tradition alive, Mairead proudly walked out of the store with her own little jar of smooth peanut butter.  Had I known the issues it was going to create, I may have given this some more thought.

In addition to Mai’s new found snack, I have been baking too many unhealthy desserts lately.  I tend to go overboard baking sweets when Aaron is around, but now that he is back to long hours at work, it’s back to healthier snacks.  I’ve been doing good and being a little more active than usual thanks to our warmer weather the last two weeks, and thankfully craving more energy fueling snacks and less sugary ones.  If only I could say the same about the rest of my household.

I originally set out to make homemade granola bars when I came across this recipe instead.  I love anything loaded with nuts and seeds and the nuttier and seedier the better!  But with quinoa and dark chocolate thrown into the mix, there was no turning back.  I loved this snack and felt good just knowing how much protein and fiber we were getting from a something that tastes like a treat.  The only bad thing about this is that I can’t send it to school with Mairead for a snack because of the nuts, but she has gotten her fill nonetheless.  This is one of those recipes where you can substitute one ingredient for another, so go nuts!…no pun intended.  Enjoy folks!

* This is not a sponsored post, but I think we can all agree Kraft makes pretty delicious peanut butter 😉

Healthy Chocolate Quinoa Bark

Ingredients

Quinoa bark:

1/3 cup almonds, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
dash of sea salt

Chocolate topping

8 oz dark chocolate
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
dash of sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all quinoa bark ingredients and mix well.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and using your hands or a rolling pin, spread out to an even layer, approximately 1/2 thickness.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until edges are browned.  Allow to cool.

Using a double boiler, melt dark chocolate and coconut oil.  Spread over the cooled quinoa bark.

Once the chocolate topping has cooled a few minutes, add shredded coconut, pistachios and sea salt.  Enjoy!

By Three Happy Folk

Adapted from Broma Bakery