Key Lime Bars

My husband and I love anything LIME, so I decided to try my hand at a lime version of a simple granola-type bar. Not much to them really, but they sure came out good! I only allowed myself 1 bite as I'm doing a Whole30; hubby ate two of these and gave them a two thumbs up! These would not be suitable until the higher fruits rung of the Atkins carb ladder but are totally suited to Paleo eating. These are pretty carby, so it’s not something I’ll be eating a lot of or very often. But I might allow myself one or two for special occasions or holidays.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. Medjool dates (7), pitted
1 c. unsweetened coconut
1 c. almond flour
1 c. sliced almonds
1 c. whole almonds
Zest of 1 large lime
Juice from 1 large lime
Optional: Sweetener of your choice to taste (I used 3 pkts. stevia)

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350º. Place sliced and whole almonds in food processor. Pulse until fairly fine. Add coconut, pitted dates and almond flour. Pulse a few more times. Add lime juice and zest. Taste test and decide if you need to add any sweetening agent. My husband like lime stuff tart, so he was OK without adding sweetener. I found the mix too sour, so I added some stevia. You can also use more dates, or even a little raw honey (maybe 2-3 T.), which will up the per bar counts. Stevia, if you use it on your plan, won’t change carb counts by much. Pulse a couple more times after adding any sweetener. With a ¼ c. scooper, scoop out ¼ c. portions of the mix into latex bar molds (see below) or paper lined cupcake pans. With moistened fingers, press mixture firmly and evenly into the pans. Bake in preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. I left mine 15 and browned them a bit too much. Cool before storing in airtight container of ziploc plastic bags.

Latex pans I used:

NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 19 bars, each contains (using stevia):

179 calories
13.84 g fat
14.20 g carbs, 3.96 g fiber, 10.24 g NET CARBS
4.96 g protein
4.42 mg sodium
87 mg potassium
26% Vitamin E, 27% copper, 14% iron, 16% magnesium, 30% manganese, 12% phosphorous, 12% riboflavin, 8% zinc