The excitement of the Tour continues!!!  Can you believe we have two more weeks of this?!  I will be so sad when I have to go to work tomorrow and can’t sit at home enjoying this incredible team sport.  I don’t have anyone in particular that I am cheering for, but I love the thrill of the ride and the camaraderie of the riders working together yet representing their individual countries and teams.  I learned a bit about the race logistics from reading It’s Not About the Bike a few years back, but don’t remember all of the details.  Wouldn’t it be amazing to take a joy ride through these French and Swiss towns??? 

 

I was able to watch Stage 8 this afternoon while I was waiting for my BOY to return from his weekend away.  We were planning some beers and BBQ for dinner.  I tried to explain to the BOY that you don’t even have to know the riders to feel the excitement, but he was not so interested in the Tour.  This is crazy to me…he can sit and watch hours of golf (yawn), but isn’t that into this adrenaline pumping race.

 

Watching sports all afternoon reminded me that I have been wanting to make a new batch of energy bars.  I can’t even remember which magazine I pulled this recipe out of, but it was definitely a health magazine, like Oxygen or Clean Eating.

 

 

I picked up some dates on sale at, yep you guessed it, Woodman’s!  You can also buy them in a bulk bin at Whole Foods or your local health food shop!

 

 

Instead of peanuts, I subbed in some other nuts.  I did this for 2 reasons: 1) I didn’t have peanuts in the house, and 2) Peanuts can be rough on my tummy.

 

 

You’ll notice that I just placed all of the ingredients into the food processor.  I don’t recommend it!  This was just because I didn’t reread the instructions clearly enough.

 

 

I’d also recommend chopping and pitting your dates well because there was one pit in my mix, and I have never seen my food processor jump so high!

 

 

The mixture easily spreads, but I think an 8×8 pan is a little too large. I’m not sure what a better size pan would be?!  Maybe a loaf pan could give you a thicker bar.  Or just double your recipe!

 

 

 

The bars go into the fridge for at least an hour to set.

 

 

Meanwhile, the BOY and I got to working on a joint-effort dinner.  I was in charge of the salad.

 

 

And he made the chicken and veggies on the grill.  It’s good to have my grill master back!

 

 

The BOY got a new localish brew (Indiana is close enough to be local), which was awesome!

 

 

And I made a wine spritzer.  This refreshing summer cocktail is a mixture of red wine (leftover from last night), with some fresh fruit and sparkling water and a few ice cubes.

 

 

 

We had a wonderful dinner!!!

 

 

After dinner, I went to check on my date bars.  They were a little thin, but I was still able to cut them into bars.

 

 

They taste so amazingly good!  So good, in fact, that I had one for dessert tonight.

 

 

I was shocked by how tasty these bars turned out.  These chewy energy bars are going to be your new favorite snack!  They are perfect for a long day at work or a bike ride.  And they are made with all real ingredients and no added sugar.  Plus, they are much cheaper than your typical energy bar.  It’s a total win!  I packed two in my lunch for tomorrow, and then settled in for a quiet Sunday to watch 21 Jump Street with the BOY.  Man, I can’t believe how quickly the weekend flies by!  But seriously, you HAVE to try these Date Bars.  Let me know what you think!!!

 

Here are a few of my other favorite energy snacks:

Afternoon Energy Bars

Almond Butter Cacao Balls

No Bake Quinoa Energy Balls

 

 

Date Bars

Makes 8 Bars

 

Ingredients

1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped

1 cup nuts (I used half cup almonds, half cup cashews)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp (or more) cinnamon

 

NOTE: I made this first batch pretty simple, but I look at this as the basic recipe.  I would consider adding in dried fruit (ie cranberries), coconut, quinoa, or anything else delish and nutrish!  I wouldn’t add in any sweeteners because the dates are sweet enough!

 

Directions

Pulse dates in a food processor.

Add nuts, salt, and cinnamon, and mix until a sticky dough forms.  Remove from processor and shape it into a ball.  Transfer to a glass baking dish and press flat until the dough is 3/4 inch thick.

Refrigerate for an hour or until set.  Slice into 8 bars and enjoy!