Mix up these customizable paleo trail mix bars in under a half an hour and have them ready to grab and go for your busy week. These convenient bars are packed with all the flavors of your favorite trail mix with no unpronounceable ingredients and lots of nutrition.
Today, I start my first big-girl internship. Like, 40 hour weeks and corporate life and whaaaat is happening? I certainly don’t know. But we’ll talk about that after I have a little more experience.
Instead, I want to talk about diet. Not like the “eat this and lose weight in a week” diet. More like, what you and I eat on a daily basis.
I think I’ve made it pretty clear that I love food and that I can eat pretty much anything. While I like healthy food and eat lots of it, I also generally eat a decent amount of processed food and junk. So, I think that it might be time to recognize that my body doesn’t love it when I do eat whatever my mind wants.
In the last six or so years, I’ve had a bunch of pretty awful digestive issues. I take a lot of daily over the counter medicine, I sleep on a special pillow to ease digestion, and my dad and I even cut a vacation/college tour short during my junior year of high school because my stomach was hurting so badly. I want to be up and about and, you know, living life… but some days I can’t stand up straight because of stomach pain.
That’s not normal.
I have tried a few dietary adjustments to fix my problems. I went plain ol’ gluten-free. I went low-FODMAP, and that honestly made everything worse. I cut out Diet Coke. Nothing got better, and I got more frustrated. I can handle pain pretty well, but it’s a different story when my entire digestive system is unpredictable and straight-up out of whack.
The last time I tried anything dietary was about three years ago. Since then, I probably haven’t been all that nice to my digestive system (college = stress-eating all the things), and lately I’ve been extra tired of it.
When what you eat doesn't make you feel great, change it. #fitfluential Share on X
Which brings me to the new plan: paleo. (I’m not following this shopping list, but it gives a pretty good overview of the stuff I’m eating.)
Why? Because I’ve read a lot of IBS success stories. Additionally, I’ve read a lot of chronic pain success stories. Those reasons might strike you as bullsh*t, because there are 201468 success stories for every problem on every diet. That’s why I was hesitant to go for it.
Well, that and I love pizza… and ice cream… and cereal. However, I also love meat and vegetables and fruit and fats. Also, you can make some pretty delicious sweet treats that are still paleo if you want something extra. That’s not to say my entire diet is going to be composed of “paleo-ified” dessert, but it’s nice to not feel limited.
I am going into this experiment both excited (cooking is fun!) and hopeful (maybe I’ll feel better!). I am not claiming this change is permanent or entirely inflexible. If I notice that I’m feeling significantly better, but I’ve been doing this for a few months and I really want a slice of my favorite pizza or a scoop of my favorite ice cream, then I’m going to have it – and recognize that it might not make me feel fabulous. I want to be able to weigh the delicious taste with the physical effect. I also want to find new ways I love to enjoy food.
All of that said, I intend to start sharing recipes much more consistently with you, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. I’m aiming for one to two recipe-and-life posts a week, plus Five Friday Favorites and some Thinking Out Loud.
SO. After that little spiel, what do you say we get to the recipe for these Paleo Trail Mix Bars?
While I’ve found that all the protein, produce, and healthy fats involved make paleo meals super-satisfying, I still need the occasional snack. One solution? These bars. They are simple to make, super easy to customize according to your tastes, packed with texture and nutrition, and portable. So, basically, Paleo Trail Mix Bars are perfect for your fabulous, busy summer life – paleo or not – and you should make them ASAP.
- 1/4 c. almond meal
- 1/4 c. macadamia nuts
- 3/4 c. almonds
- 1/4 c. pistachios (no shells)*
- 1/4 c. dates
- 1/4 c. unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 T. chia seeds
- 2 T. mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)
- 1/4 c. maple syrup
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 large egg white
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
- Roughly chop macadamia nuts, almonds, pistachios, and dates.
- Add almond flour, chopped nuts, dates, coconut, chia seeds, and chocolate chips to a medium bowl and mix together.
- Pour maple syrup, vanilla, and egg white into the trail mix. Stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture into the 8x8 pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. The bars will be soft but set when they are done. They will continue to firm up as they cool, so wait until they are completely cool to cut them. You can put them in the fridge to speed up the setting process. I like to store mine in the fridge, as well. They will be good for about a week, assuming they last that long!
- *I used salted pistachios. If none of your nuts are salted, I would recommend adding a pinch of salt to the mixture.
- **You can use any combination of nuts and dried fruit that suits your taste! Make sure the (whole) nuts amount to about 1-1/4 cups and the dried fruit is between 1/4 and 1/2 cup.
Click here to view nutrition facts for Paleo Trail Mix Bars
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Your turn:
Have you ever switched up your diet for health reasons?
Would you be interested in posts about my experience with paleo (what I eat, what the transition is like, any other questions…)?
(((sharing))) but had to add how funny it is in this day and age we NEED TO TELL PEOPLE NO SHELLS.
But we really do need to tell 🙂
Thanks so much, Carla!
And haha yes! I did it for the sake of the volume measurement, but I can certainly imagine someone trying to chop in-shell pistachios…
These look so good and easy to swap out some of the ingredients to make different . . like what about dried cherries for the dates?! That would be so good with the chocolate 🙂
Yes! I’m totally looking forward to many variations 😀 I love your idea of cherries with the chocolate – such a fabulous combo!
these would be great for meal prep to have on hand!
Thanks, Linz! I’ve been loving them for that – anything to make a long week a little easier 🙂
You know how I feel about changing diets for health 🙂 I’m happy for you and hope you find some relief! These bars sound awesome! And good luck at your internship! I had my first “big girl 40-hour week” internship the summer after my sophomore year too.
I do – and you’re part of the reason I decided to finally do it. 🙂
I just want you to feel better, and I don’t care how you do it! These look yummy, and good luck at the internship–decaf, black, 1 sweetener ;D LOVE YOU
Thank you + love you ❤️❤️❤️ And I just got a ton of information thrown at me and idk what to do with it all because none of it was coffee orders ? Guess I have some learning to do!
Oooo where are you interning :O
I really wish there was a crystal ball we could look into to figure out the right “diets” for us to feel our best :/ So much “guess and check”
Nationwide Insurance! And yes I would LOVE a crystal ball or an instruction manual to tell me what on earth my body wants 😛
perfect grab n’ go snack! Love that they are paleo too!
Thank you! Grabbed one on my way out the door this morning ?
Congratulations on taking the dietary leap! We have quite a bit in common–I have IBS and several food intolerances that randomly developed at the beginning of college and I’ve been experimenting with different diets for years. Next month I’m planning on trying the Whole30 because I’m pretty frustrated with my lack of success. I would absolutely love to hear about your paleo experience (even though it’s a bit different than Whole30, the guidelines are pretty similar) if you’d feel comfortable posting about it! 🙂
I considered Whole30 (and maybe should have done it) and I’m not sure why I chose paleo. Maybe the fact that it’s a little less stri? Cowardly answer, by hats probably it, honestly. I hope you find some relief and I’ll be sure to share if I do, as well ❤️
I really hope the Paleo diet helps your tummy troubles! I’m really fortunate in that I’ve never really had an digestive issues. The only time I switched up my diet was when I went full-on diet obsessed and was incredibly unhealthy mentally.
I’ll be interested to see how you go.
Thanks so much, Megan! I’m glad you’re in a healthier place now, my friend. 🙂
I need to know what this special pillow is, girl!
You know I have suffered with stomach issues too so I’m really interested to find out how you go with the paleo diet!
Hahaha it looks SO uncomfortable, but it I sleep on my stomach naturally, so I kinda love it. My torso is on the incline with my head at the bottom. (Here it is.)
You’re the queen of delicious diet adaptations! I’ll keep ya posted 🙂
It sounds like you’re approaching dietary (daily eating) changes in such a balanced way Ellen! I’ll be praying that you do feel better and that Paleo does help your body! It’s definitely right to take care of your body, so I will be following along and learning from you as you try it out. I also struggle with some digestive issues, so I’ve thought about Paleo.
Thanks so much, Emily <3
These look so yummy and your photos are gorgeous, Ellen! Just pinned to save for later 🙂
Thanks so much, Liv! I’m definitely working on food photography whenever I can 🙂 Thanks for pinning!
This sounds like perfection!
Thanks, Nicole 🙂 I sure love them!
These look so great! Good luck at your internship!! 🙂 <3
Thanks so much, Laura! Have a lovely weekend!