Almond, Cranberry, Orange Raw Fruit & Nut Bars

Being a stay at home mom of three, I rarely get to sit down and eat a square meal without answering 100 questions, changing at least one diaper, refilling waters, playing "here comes the airplane", wiping hands, cleaning faces,... Really, I could go on! My point being, my saving grace are hand held snacks and meals that I can eat on the go, or while tending to my small self-made army!!! For that reason, I love these raw fruit and nut bars. They are extremely versatile and take all of 10 minutes to whip up!

Ingredients:

1 cup raw pecans
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup pitted dates (I buy mine pits in to save $$$ and they are a cake to pit!)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (you can always use the store bought stuff, just depends on how much pucker you want.)
1 Tbsp orange zest (take it or leave it, I LOVE the extra essence of orange)

Recipe:

Toss nuts in a blender or food processor, and let her rip. You are looking to just break them down, not make butter. 1 minute should do the trick.

Add pitted dates. Process until combined. You will have to scrape down the sides a few times. You want to process them into a gummy, grainy paste. About 2-3 minutes total.

Add orange juice, zest, and cranberries. Process until just combined.

Line a pan with parchment or wax paper. Press mixture into the pan.

Cut into bars.

Wrap individually in wax paper or stack in a sealed container.

Refrigerate.

Enjoy!!!