All Natural Cocoa – Mint Fruit and Nut Bars

I’ve come to a realization…  This might sound silly, but, have you ever all-of-a-sudden realized you’ve just been spending too much time on the computer?  Not even productive time, just wasting time, really.  It doesn’t happen all at once, it just slowly creeps in.  I’ve been (mistakenly) thinking that it’s OK to spend a little more time on the computer getting things done while my kids are occupied.  But it’s not.  Even if you don’t have kids, have you ever realized that why you’re stressed out is because of the computer?

Lately, I’ve been wanting to spend a little more time working on the blog, and in my mind I guess I equated that with spending 5 minutes extra here and 10 minutes extra there on the computer, but I’m realizing that that’s just stressing me out.  My plan of attack is to go through my reader and only keep what I actually, really enjoy.  And until my son starts school in September I’ll be posting twice a week(plus my weekend post) and then we’ll see from there.

Have you ever realized that you were slowly spending more and more time doing things you don’t really enjoy?  I do love blogging, but it’s turned into more of a job than a creative outlet, and that’s not what I really want.  I definitely know I need to spend some more time in the kitchen, for my own sanity!  Who’s with me?  Let’s cut out the things that are stressing us out and spend more time on the things we really enjoy!  For me, that means less computer time, and way more time in the kitchen or in the backyard with my kids 🙂

Now that that’s off my shoulders… These bars were created because my mint plant has gone crazy.  I seriously don’t even know if it’s one plant or 3265709 because it’s everywhere.  Kinda awesome.  Kinda not, because it’s everywhere, but I do love mint 🙂

Just note that these are best stored in the freezer.  The mint is fresh(and the flavor does kind of take over the bars) so I think it’s best if they’re kept cold unless you’re eating them all right away.  Enjoy!

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Cocoa Mint Fruit and Nut Bars

Makes 8-10 bars

• 3/4 C almonds
• 3/4 C Medjool dates
• pinch salt
• 1/4-1/3 C packed fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder

In a food processor, process almonds until finely ground.  Remove and place in a bowl.  Add the Medjool dates to the food processor and blend until no large whole pieces remain.  Add in the nuts, salt, mint and cocoa and process until combined.  Even if the mixture is crumbly, pour it out in the loaf pan lined with plastic wrap or paper.  Press down firmly until it sticks together and spread evenly in the pan. Pull the bars out and slice into individual servings.  Wrap or store in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer.

Notes:

For thicker bars, don’t spread out evenly in the loaf pan, just form it into one side of the loaf pan.

You may need to place the pan in the fridge or freezer for a short amount of time until they’re firm enough to pull out and slice without changing shape too much.

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