Apricot Bliss Bars + Following Your Bliss

I had a beautiful meeting with a friend, mentor, and coach of mine this past weekend- my experience through which inspired this post.

I consider myself to be an ambitious person. I think it's part of the human spirit to be in constant growth. The nature of my work keeps me in constant development with my team and myself. I'm always asking myself, what's next, how do I get there, and the big one, what is my purpose and my intention?

This roots me into my True North as a leader, a coach, and a teacher. My aim is to empower people to see the possibility in their lives, and to create action around their goals.

I got disconnected from this.

I got caught up in not feeling ready and not feeling good enough.

I forgot my fundamental goal- to see possibility and to empower myself.

I got inspired to get into action. Inspired to use my resources and start teaching. I had a reality check in my meeting- if you want to teach, you'll teach. You just do. No limitations by circumstance or beliefs that hold me back. That's the power of choice in every moment. If you want to do it, you will. You just start.

The next six weeks are going to be BIG! Here's what I'm up to:

• igolu Level One, which will span the next four months and involves creating my personal legacy moment to moment, setting my intention in the world and acting on that purpose 
• attending the igolu Road Show with Susanne Conrad to benefit imagine1day
• Level Two Training through Baptiste Yoga in Sedona, Arizona, my final training before I start the process of getting certified as a Baptiste Teacher
• 40 Days to Personal Revolution kicks off at my home studio- that's 40 days of yoga, twice daily meditation, mindful eating, and self work through journaling and reflection

boom.

I could not be more excited and nervous with what I'm up to. Goose bumps are always a good sign.

I think where many of us get stuck is figuring out which actions to take to propel us towards our highest goals and intentions.  
Here's the radical truth: you need to get related to your intention. Why do you do what you do? What calls you into action? What gets you up in the morning?

And make it your mission to do more of that. The good stuff, the juicy stuff. This is where you find your True North. All else falls into line and suddenly the decisions to make become easy; because you're being guided by knowledge far more powerful that your logical mind.

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Now onto these bars- because every ambitious bliss junkie needs fuel. And the right kind. The kind of fuel that makes you feel good and keeps you crushing goals for hours!

Apricot Bliss Bars Adapted from Sprouted Kitchen makes 12

apricot, lemon, oats

• 1.5 cups dried apricots 
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup honey
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 1.5 cups spelt or oat flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup brown rice flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup almond butter
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup rolled oats
• 6 Tbsp coconut sugar

method 

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper.

Place dried apricots in a bowl, pour boiling water over apricots, cover and let steep for at least 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, combine spelt flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt in medium bowl

In a separate bowl, add the almond milk, almond butter, 3 Tbsp coconut sugar, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine fully. Add this to the flour mixture, stirring to combine fully.

Once apricots have softened, drain excess liquid, reserving it. Add the honey, lemon juice and zest to the apricots and use a hand blender to puree. Add some of the reserved liquid, a little at a time if needed to create a smooth jam like consistency.

Take half of the dough, press it into the lined baking sheet. Spread apricot mixture on top of this. Add rolled oats and remaining coconut sugar to the rest of the dough. Crumble the dough over the apricot mixture.

 Bake for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Use the parchment paper to remove the bars, then cut into 12 bars.