Homemade Energy Bars

Dates, chia seeds, oats, coconut, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Yum.

Homemade energy bars (let's be honest, we're talking about Larabars here) combine a number of healthy ingredients to create an awesome feel-good treat. Some people shape theirs into spherical nutritionally-packed bites, but I prefer the classically shaped bar. Everyone's made these, and it's no wonder: they are unbelievably simple (if you have a food processor), infinitely changeable, and delightfully tasty in any iteration.

Why are they so good for you? Dried medjool dates are little superfruits, packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Of course, they have a higher sugar content when dried, but that's the only sweetener in this recipe. The other ingredients come with their own lengthy healthy resume: oats are high in dietary fiber and are a source of heart-healthy whole grains; unsweetened coconut offers a healthy fat; chia seeds are well-known for their super concentration of omega-3s and calcium; cocoa powder is an antioxidant; and even cinnamon has long been revered in Ayurvedic practice.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of recipes for these all over the internet. I loved this version, but feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients. Add pecans or almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins or dried cranberries, skip the cocoa powder, forget the coconut. All you need to keep an eye on is the texture. Too dry, and they won't come together; too wet, and they'll be difficult to eat.

Go forth and make these little energy bites, bars, balls, or what have you. They'll do the trick to tide you over, and they're so much better for you than a candy bar! And please share your favorite rendition in the comments.

Homemade Energy Bars
1 cup organic rolled oats (I used old-fashioned, but quick-cook oats would work too)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups dried medjool dates
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 to 1/2 cup water

Put all the dry ingredients in a food processor. Pulse to combine until the mixture is uniform in size (think sand-like consistency). With the food processor running, slowly pour in the water. The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the food processor.

Check the consistency at this point: open up the food processor and touch the dough. It should stick to itself without crumbling, and not stick to your finger. Add more water as needed. If you've added too much water, throw in another tablespoon or so of oats and process until it's just right.

Line an 8x8 dish with parchment or wax paper, and press the dough into the pan. The bars should be about 1/4 inch thick. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, slice into bars and keep chilled. Alternately, shape into bite-sized truffles and refrigerate.

This recipe makes about 8 four-inch bars.

Simple Stir Fry: The Technique

Random veggie bits and pieces for stir fry.

 One of my resolutions was to waste less. Nine days in, I'm feeling pretty great about this goal. The last two weekends I've picked up most of our veggies from the farmer's market; the others hail from our dwindling backyard garden.

Having these beautiful, organic, locally grown vegetables on hand makes me feel like they're more special than average grocery store produce which encourages me to avoid wasting any bite. Since I know they're organic, too (and enjoy reading Johnson's Backyard Garden blog about this local produce), I tend to use more of the plant. Funny how that works, isn't it? Regard something as precious and you treat it better and use it more wisely. To me, this means, "Don't waste it!"

Kind of by accident, I happened upon a new tactic in the kitchen this week: I turned my stir fry into tacos. Which meant that with one basic prep night, I made two completely different meals (and enough for lunch leftovers, too). Beginning on Sunday night, I chopped a slew of seasonal veggies for a simple stir fry. Shredded cabbage, carrots, green onion, broccoli, and leftover minced purple cauliflower made it into the stir fry. At its best, stir fry is out-of-this-world unbelievable; I'll save that for the chefs. Because everyday stir fry can be so very simple to whip up on a weeknight; I learned my basics from Mark Bittman, and have found that this is more of an approach than a recipe.

Simple Stir Fry Technique 

4 to 5 cups vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choi, snap peas, carrots, and celery work well)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons canola oil or other neutral oil
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
2 to 3 cups cooked long-grain brown rice or other grain of your choice

If you're cooking rice, prepare it first. You can make the entire stir fry (including veggie chopping) while the rice takes 30-40 minutes to cook. If you're using a quick-cook grain like quinoa, go ahead and prepare it and set it aside.

Get out your chopping board and set to work, chopping your vegetables into similar sizes. If I'm adding peas, I cut everything down to size; about half-inch pieces are the largest you want to go here. Keep in mind that carrots and broccoli take a little longer to cook. Generally, my mix includes carrots, celery, and broccoli as a base. But almost anything goes (maybe not potatoes or tomatoes) .

Put a heavy pan (I like to use my 10-inch skillet with tall sides) over medium heat and warm it up for about 30 seconds. Add the oil, and immediately throw in the onions and garlic. Saute these until they become almost translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the veggies that will take longest to cook: carrots, broccoli, etc., and cook about 10 minutes, stirring and adding water as necessary to prevent browning.

When the tougher vegetables are almost done, add the tender veggies (peas, greens, etc.). I like mine to steam a bit, so I add about 1/4 cup of water and cover the entire thing for about 5 minutes. Cook until everything is fork-tender or wilted.

Keep an eye on it so that nothing browns too much in the pan; you'll want all the liquid to cook out, but nothing to be crispy. At this point, you can add any sauce you like, but I leave it blank.*

Put a serving of rice in a bowl and top with a heaping serving of vegetables. We dress our stir-fry/steamed veggies and rice at the table with hot mustard, chile garlic paste, and tamari. Store leftover rice and vegetables separately, and you have more variety with your leftovers.

*There are two three reasons I don't make any kind of sauce for stir-fry night:
1. The two of us generally disagree on our favorite sauces (I like the peanut variety, he likes garlicky). 2. Having a huge batch of vegetables cooked without any spices or sauces means the leftover vegetables can be turned into something entirely different the next day—like quiche, omelet, enchiladas, tacos, or even lasagna. 3. Oh, and it means less to prepare/clean up.

Leftovers transforming into a new meal.

The next night... I threw the vegetable leftovers, a can of black beans, and some spinach into a saute pan until everything was heated through. I added a dash of cumin, a little season salt, and voila! Taco filling.

Multi-grain tortillas topped with the veg and bean mix, with a bit of avocado, Greek yogurt (I like 2%), and a good splash of Cholula for kick: dinner is served. I had plenty for a healthy, satisfying lunch the next day.

I marveled at how easy it was to make these two meals—and how cheap.

How do you do stir fry in your house?

Establishing a Sustainable Diet

Years ago when I started this blog, my food journey was in its infancy. I was just starting to understand the power of food — its impact on the health of our bodies, our communities, and our environment.

Gradually, I began to shape my food choices based on my understanding of healthy. It started small, by enrolling in a CSA and learning what it meant to eat seasonally.

Since I grew up on a farm, I already knew where real food came from—but there was a period of time (let's call them the 'Lost Years') when I leaned on frozen dinners, bought the cheapest chicken, and scoffed at the prices of organics. Way back when, I considered a bag of Doritos and a 20-ounce Dr Pepper to be lunch. Ouch.

When Sustainable Diet was just a little blog to see how I'd handle our weekly CSA deliveries, I had no idea what a profound impact food would have in my life. It's become much more than just a blog idea for me; it's a way of life.

And I'm thinking that many of you out there are looking for simple ways to tap into this sustainable way of eating. So I thought I'd start an easy-to-follow Eat Clean in 2013 conversation to help you make strides toward a more sustainable diet. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and look for #EatClean2013. Take part in the conversation — add your own ideas, ask questions, and connect with people around you.

Together we'll #EatClean2013 !