On a recent grocery run with the kids, I knew I wasn’t getting passed the wall of granola bars without my 4-year-old's snack detector going off.

"Can I have a snack?" he quickly shouted.

I picked up the healthiest looking bars of the bunch(Kashi), thinking, “How bad could it be?”

Crappy oils, GMO corn, lots of GMO soy, processed sugar, way too much salt, natural flavoring(aka mystery chemicals)…Holy Hell, more than 30 ingredients!

What kind of granola bar needs 30 ingredients?

I’d like to say I didn’t buy it but I did.

My son’s pleading broke me.

But I went home with a plan to create some seriously easy granola bars to keep in the freezer and whip out on our next grocery trip.

This one is my favorite granola bar recipe.

It’s nine ingredients and it kicks the store bought kind’s ass!

No Bake Peanut Butter Bars

Adapted from the minimalist baker

Ingredients:

2 cups pitted dates


1 teaspoon cinnamon


1/4 teaspoon sea salt


*3 cups old fashioned or rolled oats(I use Gluten Free)


1/2 cup raisins


1 cup unsalted peanuts


1/2 cup pumpkin seeds


3/4 cup unsalted peanut butter


1/2 cup brown rice syrup or honey

Directions:

1. If your dates are moist, blend them in food processor until paste-like. If they’re a little hard, put them in a bowl and cover with warm water for about 10 minutes and drain before processing.
2. Mix peanut butter and syrup in a small saucepan on low and heat briefly until melted.
3. In a large bowl mix all dry ingredients. Then add wet ingredients and mix well. You're arm might get a little tired here but keep going.
4. Dump mixture into a parchment paper or plastic wrap lined 13 x 9 baking dish (pretty much any dish size will work. It will just change the thickness of bars). Using another piece of plastic wrap firmly press mixture evenly into dish.
5. Cover and place in fridge for 20 minutes. Cut into bars and enjoy!

Yields about 14 squares

* Toasting the oats on 350F for 12 minutes gives it a bit of a nuttier flavor but it’s totally not necessary.

I can’t remember exactly when dessert became a guilt thing.

In college, I had no problem polishing off a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia.

My boyfriend (now my husband) even gave me an ice cream cozy to keep my pint-holding hand warm.

Ah, romance!

Actually, not so romantic, considering I spent most of my twenties bloated and feeling like an emotional time bomb.

These days, I still love dessert but there’s no way I’m diving into a bowl of sugar that will throw my body and emotions out of whack.

So does eating healthy mean not indulging in sweets? 

Oh, hells no! 

Since ditching most processed food, I probably eat dessert more than ever. 

When you try my ridiculously easy 5 Ingredient Coconut Chia Pudding, you'll see how sweet and delicious eating real food can be.

And they're made with Ch-ch-cha chia!

Yup, the same seeds made famous for the 1980’s gag gift Chia Pets.

Chai seeds are now getting attention for being an amazing health food and rightfully so.

They’re rich in inflammation fighting Omega-3, filled with antioxidants and are a good source of fiber, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.

Besides being lick-your-bowl-clean delicious, my favorite thing about this chia pudding is that it’s so damn easy to make!

Here’s to never feeling guilty about dessert again! 

Coconut Chia Pudding

Ingredients

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (the canned kind)

1/3 cup chia seeds

¼ cup honey or maple syrup

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

Optional: berries or sliced fruit

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl or container and store in fridge overnight. The chia seeds will take on a tapioca consistency.

If you just can’t wait, you can dig in after four hours but it’s better if you can hold out.

Top with berries and enjoy!