Coconut Chia Rice Crispy Treats. Vegan. GF.

Happy second Monday of the week!  Ha! Hope you had a great long weekend. We headed to New Jersey to go to my favorite vegan restaurant Seed to Sprout and then relax at the beach.  Seriously, if you are in New Jersey and nearby to Red Bank – hit this place up.  We also enjoyed being outside and some summer weather and the pool.

I made these this weekend for a special treat for my girls.  They’re a classic.  Crunchy.  Sweet.  Just reminiscent of childhood.  But these do have a healthy spin… They loved them and they are so tasty – I’ll admit, I was picking at them quite a bit.  Hope you give this recipe a try.

Ingredients:

4 cups of brown rice cereal (I used One Degree)
1/4 cup of shredded coconut flakes
2 tablespoons of chia seeds (I used Mamma Chia)
2/3 cup of peanut butter (I used Justin’s)
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1/3 cup of coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional topping:

1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
pinch salt

Directions:

In a large bowl mix the cereal, coconut and chia seeds.  Set that aside.  In a saucepan or bowl to microwave, melt the nut butter, syrup, oil and extract.  Once melted, whisk to combine.  Then pour that over the cereal and mix well to coat.

To prepare a pan, I lined a 8×8 glass baking pan with parchment allowing the parchment to hang over the sides allowing for easy removal.

Add the cereal mixture to the prepared pan.  Press that mixture down into the pan, firmly.  Once that’s done – I add the chocolate topping ingredients into a bowl and microwave for 30 seconds.  Whisk once melted and drizzle over the top of the cereal bars.  I then add the pan to the freezer for one hour to set up.  Slice and enjoy.  If storing leftovers – wrap individually and store in the freezer to keep them firm.

Finished last week out with 35 miles.  Sunday we went to the beach so no cycling.

Monday:  We ran 5 miles first then cycled 25 miles.
Tuesday:  6 miles on the treadmill/strength training – 5 miles of speed work.  Splits:  8:12/7:57/7:42/7:33/7:30 then did one more mile at an easier pace to shake out my legs.

That’s it from here.  Wishing you a very happy week to you!

— Knead to Cook