No Bake Apricot & Almond Energy Bars

I don’t know about you, but mid-day snacking has always been a struggle for me. I mean, after all I am at home most of the day with my little guy so if I’m hungry I can grab an apple or some crackers. But typically it will be a spoonful of Nutella (hey it has protein in it hehe), a little piece of chocolate, or some chips.

Although, when I was working things were really bad because you know that there is always that one token lady at work who has a bowl of chocolates on her desk … you get where I’m going. I definitely made my way over there a couple times to say hi and grab a piece of chocolate. Are you sensing a theme here? CHOCOLATE is my weakness and go-to snack!

But this year, I am cutting back and replacing that piece of chocolate or scoop of Nutella with a healthy alternative. In all honesty, it’s a choice: the chocolate or the vegetable … oh the options! Yes chocolate can be said to make you “feel good,” but healthy foods like vegetables, fruit, and nuts are even better “feel good foods.” They not only make your body feel good because they are nutrients your body needs and wants to function properly, but mentally they make you feel better about yourself because you’re choosing a healthy option. It gives you a feeling of success at living a healthy lifestyle instead of that feeling of guilt when you grab the piece of chocolate.

The thing with healthy eating is it usually means expensive, unless you make something yourself. Well, today I’m hitting both of those points.

ALDI has some great options at incredible prices – so basically you (and I) have no excuse to have an unhealthy snack option in sight. Just to make it simple and spur on some creativity here are a few snack ideas! (photos above)

Mini Cucumber with 1 oz. of Kerry Gold Aged White Cheddar Cheese = 120 calories + $2.89 for the cheese and $2.49 for a 16 oz. bag of mini cucumbers

1/4 cup of Southern Grove Whole Almonds = 170 calories + only $5.99 for a huge bag

1/2 cup of blueberries = 42 calories + $1.19 for the blueberries

1/3 cup of Southern Grove Dried Fruit Medley = 120 calories + only $1.49 for a huge bag

Now, before you start thinking those are all just single ingredients, where is the cooking or “making” in that. Here is something you are going to WANT to make for your family and it uses one of my favorite things at ALDI because you can’t beat the price, their Simply-Nature Creamy Almond Butter for only $5.99!!! I know right!

Well, I decided to make almonds the star of this bar and added in a few extra nuggets of sweetness and nutrition to help bind it all together.

How to Make This Healthy Snack

This recipe is crazy easy to make – you throw everything into the blender, press it into a pan and viola, energy bars.

The dried dates and dried apricots add a nice sweetness and bind everything together.

I guarantee these No Bake Almond Apricot Energy Bars will give you the boost you need to get through the rest of the day. Happy healthy ALDI hunting (aka shopping) and Bon Appetit my friends!