Carrot Cake Energy Bars

Look what I made! I had a food processor and an idea—actually two ideas: I want to make my own energy bars and carrot cake is yummy—and I created something delicious and practical. Please excuse my exuberance. I’m always a little bit stunned (a.k.a. shocked and amazed) when something that seems like a good idea in my head actually turns out to be a good idea in real life.

Note: Due to said exuberance, I’m posting this without checking the measurements. If you think you should add more of something, you probably should.

3 carrots (2 fairly big carrots and 1 scrawny carrot), peeled and sliced into pieces that won’t kill your food processor

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and sliced into manageable chunks

shredded coconut (probably between ½ cup and ¾ cup)

raisins (about ½ cup)

walnuts (about ¾ cup)

1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. hemp protein

honey (about 3 tbsp.)

1. Combine all ingredients in food processor and mix until everything is chopped up and well-mixed.

2. Transfer mixture to a baking dish, flatten to desired thickness and cut into bars.

3. Transfer bars to individual pieces of plastic wrap. Wrap. Toss in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and freeze. (They’ll be edible right away, but will be much easier to handle after an hour or so in the freezer. And they’ll never freeze completely.)