There is such a great choice of energy bars out there- many of which are fortified with vitamins and other nutritious goodies. However, as with all packaged food, they are overpriced and many contain ingredients you cannot pronounce, and therefore are an unnecessary burden to your wallet AND body. This energy bar is fortified with my favorite energy-giving adaptogenic herbs; American Ginseng and Ashwagandha. I shared the bar with many friends and co-workers and they all loved it. I regretted sharing some with my aerobics instructor before a work-out as she was even more energetic than usual! Each bar contains 1000mg (1 gram) of dried herb.

The best part of this recipe is that you only have to dirty two bowls and you do not have to turn the oven on.

Ingredients for 12 "bars"

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup sliced almonds
• 3 tablespoons of roasted sunflower seed kernels
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup dried fruit, chopped
• ½ teaspoon of powdered Cinnamon
• 6 grams of American Ginseng (Use either 1 tablespoon of powdered American Ginseng or 12 OWH capsules)
• 6 grams of Ashwagandha (Use either 4 teaspoons of powdered Ashwagandha or 15 OWH capsules)
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup or honey
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ¾ cup of chocolate chips

Directions

1. Toast the almonds in a pan on the stove top by heating briefly until they start to turn golden. Stir frequently. Cool and chop finely.
2. Combine oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, fruit and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
3. Empty the powder from 12 capsules of American Ginseng and 15 capsules of Ashwagandha and add to the dried mixture and stir thoroughly to distribute evenly.
4. Fill a pan with water and place a small glass bowl on top of this pan so that the bottom of the glass bowl is slightly submerged in the water. Place over a medium heat.
5. Add the chocolate to bowl in the pan, stirring occasionally as it melts.
6. To the melted chocolate, add the peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Stir thoroughly.
7. Pour the melted wet mixture into the bowl of dried ingredients. Mix well while the wet ingredients are still warm. I use my hands as they are the best tool for this mixing job!
8. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
9. Place the warm mixture into the baking sheet, pressing down using hands.
10. Place another sheet of wax paper on top of the mixture and press down using a small rolling pin or other implement that will flatten evenly.
11. Place in the refrigerator to set the mixture.
12. After at least two hours, remove from refrigerator, and cut into 12 portions.
13. Wrap in foil, or place in a container. These bars will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks.
14. They may melt on the trail! Eat bar at the beginning of the hike on a warm day.