Goodness and Wanderlust...

This was a week of dandelions blowing in the wind, tulips blooming all around, springtime, and farewells. I was blessed to get to find a kindred spirit in Dallas. Her faith reminds me of the peace of God and I am comforted by her gentleness whenever I surround myself with her company. In the much too short time I spent time with her, she cried with me, laughed with me, and just spent time being with me. While the rest of us will carry on in our studies, Gabrielle is moving on to greater adventures following The Lord like a child anxious to know Him better and better each day. I am excited for her walk and blessed to be a newfound part of it! Gabrielle appreciated my weird recipes that go against the grain so I thought I would post her favorite here in honor of her and the love she brought into my life:

Healthy Cookie Dough Dip

1 1/2 cups chickpeas

1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup almond butter

1/4 cup raw grass-fed cream, or for a nondairy option- ¼ cup fresh coconut milk or raw almond milk

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons almond meal

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (or whatever you prefer)

stevia packets to taste

Combine everything in a food processor other than the chocolate chips. Process until smooth. Taste and see if it needs to be sweeter for your purposes and if so, add one to two packets of stevia, or a bit more honey. Place the mixture into a bowl and stir in chocolate chips! Indulge alone, or enjoy with fruit!

**To make this dip brownie batter dip add in 1-2 tbsp of cocoa or carob powder. You can omit the chocolate chips...or not!

After we said farewell, until next time, perhaps in Cameroon, Africa, Matt and I packed up to head to Kansas for the Easter break from training. For the road, I made these wanderlust bars that absolutely blew my mind! They are budget friendly and very healthy!

Wanderlust Bars

makes one 8x8 tray of granola bars

adapted from seasonalfamily.com

2.5 cups mixed nuts and seeds (I used 1 ½ cups of almonds and ½ cups of pumpkin seeds, ½ cup sunflower seeds since it was what I had on hand)

1 cup dried fruit (I used raisins)

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 tablespoons cacao powder

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup almond butter

¼ cup raw local honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch nutmeg

Put the nuts and seeds in a food processor and process for about 10 seconds. There should still be some coarse bits. Combine with the dried fruit and coconut in a mixing bowl. In a saucepan over low heat, combine the cocoa powder, coconut oil, almond butter, honey, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir on heat until thoroughly combined and pour into dry ingredients. Stir everything together and place in an 8X8 pan. Freeze for at least 2 hours before eating. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Have a beautiful spring day...until next time!

What are your favorite travel snacks and foods to save money and time while on the road? Feel free to contribute in the comments!