Happy second day of the Bikini Series for anyone who joined in! I am a big sweets lover, so greatly reducing the amount of sweets I eat is difficult and definitely the hardest part of the program for me. Luckily, the Tone It Up nutrition plan DOES allow for a little treat here and there and these bars are definitely Tone It Up approved! They contain just three ingredients, have absolutely NO sweeteners, and take just THREE minutes of active time to prepare. The hardest part about this recipe is waiting for them to chill! These are sweet, crunchy, and completely satisfy a sweet tooth. I have been eating one after dinner each night, but you could also enjoy one as your M2 (if you’re following the nutrition plan) with a small piece of fruit. If you use peanut butter, they taste EXACTLY like “puppy chow” (that Chex dessert with peanut butter, chocolate, and a ton of powdered sugar). These bars are made with Perfect Fit Quinoa Crisps, which you can buy on the TIU website with this link. You can also buy it in a health food store or make your own. The texture is a bit like mini puffed rice. It adds a perfect crunch and is the star of these bars. This recipe is allergy-friendly as quinoa is naturally gluten free. For a nut allergy, sub the nut butter for sunbutter and you’re good to go! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!
Active Time: 3 minutes Total Time: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Ingredients: ½ cup dark chocolate chips (I used EnjoyLife Brand) ¼ cup nut butter of choice (I used peanut butter)
1 cup PerfectFit Quinoa Crisps (or make your own puffed quinoa)
Directions:
Melt dark chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, stopping to stir every 20 seconds. Stir in nut butter. Pour in the Quinoa Crisps and mix until coated. Press into a parchment-lined pan or container (I used a 6-inch square lock-top container) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cutting into 8 bars. Store in the fridge. They won’t last long!
Nutrition Information per serving:
Calories: 145 Fat: 10g Carbs: 16g Protein: 3g Sodium: 3mg Sugar: 5g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
