no-bake cinnamon raisin almond butter oat bars

No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars, that’s a mouthful to say!

No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars. A vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly after-school snack!

The kids are headed back to school soon, which means packing lunches and providing after school snacks.  Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with healthy snacks that the kids will love and are safe to bring to a “peanut free” zone.  Snacks made with almond butter are a great option as almond butter provides protein, fiber and a dose of healthy fat.  Almond butter is extremely nutrient dense and provides vitamin E, magnesium and potassium.  It also helps with sustained energy and optimizing blood glucose control.  I love using nut-butters in kid-friendly recipes because it keeps the little ones feeling full and happy for longer!

These aren’t just for kids!  They make a great adult approved snack or can be paired with a piece of fruit for a wholesome breakfast!

No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars. A vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly after-school snack!

no-bake cinnamon raisin almond butter oat bars
 
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Makes 12 bars No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars. A vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly after-school snack!
Author:
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ cup old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup almond butter
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ cup brown rice syrup
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ cup raisins
Instructions
  1. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Pulse oats in a food processor a few times to make a course flour and set aside.
  3. In a small saucepan over low heat add almond butter, coconut oil, brown rice syrup, sea salt, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir until melted and well combined. Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in oats and raisins.
  4. Press mixture into the lined baking pan. Use fingers to pack dough down well. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours to set. (or place in freezer to speed up the process!)
  5. Remove from parchment paper and cut into 12 bars.
  6. Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 Calories: 176 Fat: 11 Carbohydrates: 18 Sugar: 7 Fiber: 2 Protein: 4

No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars. A vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly after-school snack!

No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars. A vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly after-school snack!

Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator and individually wrap for an on-the-go snack.  You can substitute brown rice syrup with agave or maple syrup.  However, just make sure to adjust the amount of oats as needed because brown rice syrup is much thicker than maple syrup or agave.  You want to aim for a cookie dough consistency.

No-Bake Cinnamon Raisin Almond Butter Oat Bars. A vegan, gluten free and allergen friendly after-school snack!

Here are some more great school snack ideas using almond butter:

Almond Butter and Banana Open Sandwich

Almond Butter Snack Balls

Try making your own Almond Butter, this one from Happy Healthy Life looks amazing :)

Maple Coconut Cinna Almond Butter

banana split cream pie

To kick off my 35th year I’m indulging in this special birthday Banana Split Cream Pie!

Banana Split Cream Pie ~vegan~

I love birthdays…even my own regardless of what age I am turning.  I couldn’t wait to say goodbye to my 20’s and I’m looking forward to my 40’s, so 35 is a perfect place to be for the moment!

To complete a wonderful birthday weekend I made this easy, no-bake dessert…whipped raw cashews, bananas and coconut cream in a graham cracker crust and jazzed up with all the banana split sundae toppings imaginable!  I was so excited to find natural, no dye added maraschino cherries at whole foods!

Banana Split Cream Pie ~vegan~

The graham cracker crust was so simple to make, just crushed graham crackers and melted coconut oil mixed together and pressed into an 8 inch tart pan.  The banana cream filling is from one of my favorite blogs Minimalist Baker.  The pie is smothered with coconut whipped cream, chocolate sauce, bananas, walnuts and finished off in perfect Banana Split fashion with a cherry on top!

Toasted coconut, fresh strawberries and caramel sauce would be great additions too!

Here are a few recipes for the toppings:

Raw Cacao Sauce

Vegan Caramel Sauce

Coconut Whipped Cream

Need a gluten free or grain free crust?  Here are a few options:

Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Crust

Dark Chocolate Crust

Banana Split Cream Pie ~vegan~

banana split cream pie
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
  • For the Graham Cracker Crust:
  • 1.5 cups crushed graham crackers
  • 4 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • For the Banana Cream Filling:
  • 1¼ cups raw cashews (soaked overnight)
  • 3½ tablespoons coconut oil, melted
  • ¼ cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 banana, sliced
  • ⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • For the Banana Split Toppings:
  • fresh banana slices
  • chopped walnuts
  • coconut whipped cream (or your favorite whipped topping)
  • chocolate sauce
  • cherries
Instructions
  1. ~Soak cashews in water overnight or for at least 6 hours!~
  2. Crush graham crackers into a fine powder. I used a food processor and pulsed until the right consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in melted coconut oil until well combined. Press firmly down into an 8 inch pie plate or tart pan. Place in the freezer to set.
  3. Meanwhile, drain cashews and place into a food processor. Add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, banana slices, coconut milk, vanilla and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and creamy scraping down sides as needed. (this may take a few minutes!) Pour into pie crust and use a spatula to smooth. Place back into the freezer for 3-4 hours or until set.
  4. Once set, let thaw for a few minutes for easier slicing. Add desired toppings and enjoy!
  5. Store in the freezer!

Banana Split Cream Pie ~vegan~

I stashed the leftovers way back in the freezer and selfishly will be enjoying this dessert for days to come, 35 never tasted so good!

Banana Split Cream Pie ~vegan~

Noah wanted to take a picture of belly…It’s a much better picture than I could take, he definitely takes after his dad :)

no-bake chocolate chia pumpkin bites

Chocolate Chia Pumpkin Bites, perfect for pumpkin season!  

No-Bake Chocolate Chia Pumpkin Bites ~vegan, gluten free~

Minimal added sugar, fiber filled oats, protein packed nuts and added spice make no-bake bites our “go to” snack!  I’ve made a variety of different kinds over the years, but after seeing these on Instagram made me run to the kitchen!

Having little ones over for Halloween parties and don’t want to overload them with sugar?  Make these instead sugary iced cookies!  Only wholesome ingredients are used and the combo of protein and fiber will keep sugar levels from spiking and cranky crashes from happening!

No-Bake Chocolate Chia Pumpkin Bites ~vegan, gluten free~

This recipe is adapted from the beautiful blog Domesticate Me, go check it out!

no-bake chocolate chia pumpkin bites
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: 12-16
Ingredients
  • 1 cup dates, pitted
  • ¼ cup canned pumpkin
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons chia seeds
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped
  • ⅓ cup dark chocolate chunks, chopped
  • ⅓ cup raisins
Instructions
  1. Add dates, pumpkin, maple syrup, chia seeds, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and sea salt to a food processor and blend until a paste is formed. Transfer to a large bowl and add oats, pecans, chocolate chunks, raisins and mix until well combined. Using a tablespoon, scoop out dough and roll into a ball. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

 No-Bake Chocolate Chia Pumpkin Bites ~vegan, gluten free~