Snack Idea for Kids: Homemade Fruit and Nut Bars

My girls love to eat, and I think they do very well eating whole foods: they eat their veggies, protein, fruits and nuts, but I wanted some sort of new snack for them to have on occasion. There are a few decent bars out there, some organic, some with pretty simple ingredients, but gosh they are expensive. I only pick them up once in a while, because of questionable ingredients and cost. I found Fruit N' Bars recipes here on Everyday Paleo and was eager to give them a shot! Her recipes calls for dates, but I wasn't gonna go buy more dried fruit when we had plenty in the fridge waiting to be used. The girls and I made these this morning, and we think they turned out quite well! I made a half recipe, which should have yielded (8) 2 inch squares, but I turned that into 16 since they are REALLY sweet and I think that size is fine for my girls. Here's our version:

Almond Fig Bars

• 1.5 cups raw almonds
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp+ cinnamon
• 1 cup dried figs, unsweetened
• 1 cup Sunsweet D'Noir Prunes, unsweetened

Pulse nuts and salt in food processor, keeping some of the nuts chunky (I used my Magic Bullet). Pour nuts into a medium bowl, add cinnamon and stir. Add the dried fruits to the processor and process til a paste is formed. (If you are using a Magic Bullet, I'd suggest processing the fruit in small batches, maybe a handful at a time.) Add the fruit paste to nuts. Go ahead and grease a baking sheet with coconut oil or grass-fed butter, and take out some plastic wrap, before you get your hands all sticky. Kneed the fruit and nuts together in bowl until well mixed. Make into a ball and push down onto greased baking sheet. Cover ball with plastic wrap and use a rolling pin or glass bottle to roll out mixture to desired thickness. Cut into 2 inch squares and serve. These can be refrigerated if desired. I'm already planning our next batch and think raw cacao powder would make some awesome chocolate bars! Hope you enjoy!