Matcha Bars
Matcha naturally contains L-theanine, which research shows helps with anxiety, stress and mental focus. In fact, I often recommend my clients struggling with both acute and chronic anxiety try an L-theanine supplement. These bars are another way to get it!
When I was in the blitz phase of my immune system reset, I went raw vegan with no fruit for 6 weeks. RAW vegan. It was brutally hard. If you’ve ever tried a raw sprouted lentil, you know what I’m talking about. I consider myself a borderline obsessively healthy eater, but this was next level.
For those of you who don’t know me that well, I was diagnosed with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis in 2020, and have undergone multiple surgeries since to remove the growths on my vocal cords. It’s a daunting prospect to be looking at a future of potentially tens and hundreds of surgeries to manage this super annoying condition. So I’ve been on a quest to help my body fight off the HPV (human papilloma virus) causing this whole ordeal at a systemic level.
While I was on the raw vegan diet (at the advice of a friend of a friend who cured himself of the same condition), I was struggling with the prospect of eating nothing but raw veggies, sprouted seeds and sprouted grains. And basically all my go-to snacks and chocolate were out (no tortilla chips, no Kind Bars, no fruit!) I needed something to look forward to. I became obsessed with the matcha energy bars from Urban Remedy. They aren’t perfect in terms of fitting the raw vegan guidelines, but these are my take on them, and they’ve gotten rave reviews over the years. Word of caution though - matcha is green tea and does contain caffeine. Therefore, I recommend only consuming them before noon or 3pm at the latest so they don’t disrupt your sleep!
INGREDIENTS
Base Layer
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 cup almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
2 scoops pea protein powder (*optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp coconut sugar
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt (or sea salt)
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup (for vegan)
1 tsp vanilla
5 tbsp melted coconut oil (more if dough is dry)
Top Layer
1/2 c coconut butter (or coconut oil + 1 tbsp coconut flour)
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
2 tsp matcha
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp chia seeds
2 pinches salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Line an 8x8 pan with parchment just on the bottom.
Grind the cashews in a food processor or coffee bean grinder. Mix all base layer ingredients. Press evenly onto bottom of pan. Freeze while prepping the top layer.
Mix all top layer ingredients. Press evenly onto top layer. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy. Keep the rest refrigerated until ready to eat (otherwise they soften too much).
NOTES
*For the protein powder, you could also use collagen powder or whatever you have on hand. It's best if it's flavorless, but vanilla would work too. You can also skip the protein powder, but add 1/4 cup almond flour and 1 tbsp coconut flour to make up for the dry weight.
