Crunch Time

Oh ya, you heard me. It’s crunch time! I mean, HOLIDAY crunch time. Seriously, a little over a month till Christmas???? Where the heck did that come from. I promise it was just the 4th of July and I was eating BBQ with the family. Time does fly and I definitely need to remember to slow down and ENJOY the special moments of the season.  The moments of thanks and giving! And even though I HATE shopping (yes I said it, I hate going to the mall), I love buying gifts (online) and making goodies for my family and friends!! Speaking of online, have you seen all the amazing deals on CSN?!! I totally want to buy one of these sling backpacks for ME my family’s secret Santa exchange.
But before I order all my gifts, I thought I might need to make few for the neighbors, clients, etc. You know, its like a “thank you for putting up me all year” treat! haha! I found this recipe on MDA and decided to tweak it “Cotter Crunch” style.

Hazelnut Fig Coconut Bark

• 1 cup melted coconut oil (I used Tropical Traditions)
• 1/4  cup toasted shredded coconut
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/2  cup chopped hazelnuts
• 4 large dried figs- chopped
• 1-2 tsp sweetener of choice (optional)
• 25 grams vanilla protein powder (optional)

Instructions:
Mix together oil, coconut, figs, protein, and nuts. Line a pan with parchment paper.  Pour the oil mixture onto the parchment paper. Freeze for at least 30 minutes then remove and break apart into pieces to create bark. Store in the freezer.
I may have stolen a few pieces already!

We’re off to house sit and dog sit for this next week. Should be very entertaining with 3 dogs under one roof. I might be treating them with some of my “bark” in order to behave. Sorry, corniness runs in the family. Thanks dad!
Do you do your holiday shopping online or make gifts? I am up for any all ideas!
Cheers,
LC
p.s. Need some snack ideas? Hungry Runner Girl  just posted some awesome snack ideas from several different bloggers. Check it out here and here.