I am not sure whether it is being pregnant that I have suddenly found myself with a sweeter tooth, or maybe I am just more in need of instant energy, which is possible especially with these cold dark winters days, we all need a little boost sometimes!
The need for a mid afternoon cup of tea and a little pick me up is always much more prevalent in the winter. Although I often talk about the importance of keeping blood sugars balanced, this particular need is less of a slump or a sweet craving (a warning sign for out of balance blood sugars or over worked adrenals), but more of a feeling of wanting a energy boost and a cosy warm hug. Hence a cup of tea (preferably herbal) and healthy treat can really work wonders!
The inspiration for this recipe came from the comforting children’s treat, sticky rice crispy cakes which ooze toffee and marshmallow. The original recipe would certainly not be good for sustained energy and would give a post sugar crash so strong you would be worse off than when you started.
Therefore these brown rice crispies are the perfect alternative! And I promise once you have had one, you will never go back to the old variety as they are so delicious. They are incredibly easy to make, literally minutes, perfect for any busy mums or people breast feeding, where energy is key but time is limited.
They are made using brown rice puffs, which I stumbled across in Waitrose, which are made by Rude health and I think they also sell them in Sainsbury’s and other supermarkets, as well as health food shops. They are great, as they are literally grains of brown rice that have been puffed up with none of the usual Kellogg’s favourites salt and sugar added.
I used Macadamia nuts, which have a wonderfully buttery taste and make a nice change from their more common cousins, almonds or cashews. The nuts add the protein, a crucial component of an energy releasing snack. They are sweetened with coconut sugar, which is unrefined and has a much lower GI than normal sugar and date syrup, which is derived directly from dates. The cranberries add a delicious flavour and are a nice flash back to Christmas. The sunflower seeds are an excellent source of zinc and vitamin E, so a real skin brightener, plus the nuts and seeds provide great Omega 6.
They need no cooking in an oven, just a bit of chilling time in the fridge. They can be cut into squares or made into bars, great for kids snacks, trekking snacks or that mid afternoon cup of tea.
- Ingredients:
- 150g Brown puffed rice
- 150g coconut oil
- 150g coconut sugar
- 75g date syrup
- 100g dried cranberries
- 50g sunflower seeds
- 100g Macadamia nuts roughly chopped
- Heat the coconut oil, coconut sugar & date syrup in a sauce pan
- When melted and well combined, add the puffed rice, cranberries, sunflower seeds and macadamia nuts
- Mix until it is well coated and the mixture is evenly distributed.
- Pour into a lined tray bake and pushed down with the back of the spoon until even and in all of the corners.
- Place until fridge for 20 minutes until chilled.
- Remove from fridge and using the lined baking paper place onto chopping board. Cut into square or rectangles for a bar type snack
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