Back to School: It's All Fun and Protien Bars...

It's September! Time to start actually accepting that school is starting and there's no way of getting around it. I was very anxious for school this year, with my health seemingly stable I was afraid to once again offset the precious balance. Whenever someone would ask the dreaded question, "So are you ready for school to start?!" I would say to myself, "Seriously? No! Who is ever actually ready for school to start at the end of a glorious summer? Definitely not me!" I dreaded the early mornings, the homework, the stress, the cussing in the halls, etc.

This year however, after failing at trying to trick myself into thinking that it wasn't going to happen, I decided to do something about my anxiety at the prospect of starting school. I prayed that I would find the strength to make it a good year and that the Lord would comfort me and soothe my fears. In my daily scripture study over the next few days, I focused on school and what I could do differently to change my situation. Through those nights of study, God gave me strength and faith. Somehow, every verse I read directly related to something that made me nervous about school. One by one, the fears slipped away, replaced by faith in a wise Heavenly Father who I know will protect me. Through this process, my testimony has grown and most of all, my faith is fuller! I know that when we trust God with our weakness He will take us and make us stronger than we ever thought we could be. I am most certainly not perfect, and I still have a very long way to go to become like our Savior Jesus Christ, but I do know that God has prepared a proven successful path to perfection. He takes us every step of the way, never leaving us alone. If we do the things He asks, it's a no brainer, we will be blessed beyond measure and be worthy to live with Him again. He has given us so many tools to keep us on His chosen path, including scripture study and prayer. They seem like simple, almost trivial commandments, but what a difference they make in our lives! The scriptures have strengthened me so much in my life! Do not let them go to waste! They were prepared for our day and what a blessing they are. I can testify of the strengthening power of daily scripture study and sincere and honest prayer.

So once again comes the question," Are you ready for school to start?" but now I can answer with a valiant "yes!" I am excited for early morning seminary, learning new things, testing my limits, and missionary opportunities. I may still have small fears of what this year holds in store for me, but every time I worry, I remember that God is driving and the road is a beautiful one. If I let Him take the wheel then He will surely lead me where I need to go. I know now that whatever comes my way this year I will be able to do it with Christ.

Read Ether 12 with a journal ready to write down impressions and feelings

Another thing that I know will help me get through this year are...protein bars! We have this amazing recipe for gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, soy free, egg free snack bars that are great for lunches and after school snacks! These kid-approved bars are not only a good source of brain power, they're really good even if you're not gluten free! I haven't met anyone who didn't like them. Affectionately known as "Birdfood Bars" around our house, we always make sure to have some in the fridge.

Practically Perfect Chocolate Protein Bars

1/2 cup honey (I prefer agave, but it's all a matter of taste)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw cocao (or cocoa powder)
1 tsp. vanilla (gluten free)
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seed

Grease an 8x8ish pan. (Depending on how thick you want the bars to be you can choose an appropriate size pan) We often use coconut oil to liberally grease the pan because they like to stick.
In a medium size sauce pan add oil, honey, and cocao. Bring to a boil while stirring frequently. Allow the sauce to boil for one minute to get kind of syrupy.
Remove from heat (or turn to low heat) Add all remaining ingredients, stir until evenly mixed in syrupy stuff.
Pour into greased dish and refrigerate to harden.
Cut into squares and store in a closed container in the fridge or freezer.

We have tried replacing the seeds with nuts and they are just as delicious! We used pecans and almonds but you can experiment with anything! And if you end up loving this recipe and making it a lot (which I know you will!), you can save a little money by buying the seeds and coconut in bulk. Most of these ingredients can be found at your local grocery store but for some (cocao or maybe ground flax) you should be able to get them at any health food store.

Read lessons learned from my first week of school and more next Friday!