Paleo No-Bake Pumpkin Almond Bars

I found this recipe on Pinterest a while back and it looked interesting.  I am always in search of new ideas for breakfast/lunch/snacks and all the ingredients seemed good to me!  I tried these out today, but made some changes since I didn't have everything the original recipe used, and I was fine with using just what I had.  These were pretty easy to make and will be handy to have around whenever I need a sweet and healthy treat.  They don't exactly harden up like a granola bar, but if you keep them in the fridge or freezer, they will be great.  Here is what I did:

Paleo No-Bake Pumpkin Almond Bars
(makes about 20 thin bars)

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 3 t pumpkin pie spice (I used 2 t cinnamon, 1/2 t nutmeg, 1/2 t ginger)
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/4 c raw almond butter
• 1 mashed, ripe banana
• 1/2 c canned pumpkin
• 1 T raw honey
• OPTIONAL: raisins, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, etc

Preparation
In a small sauce pot, mix together almond butter, mashed banana, pumpkin, and honey.  Heat over low until it is all soft and well combined, stirring occasionally.

In a food processor, combine almonds (and other seeds/nuts), spices, and salt.  Run it until they are broken down but not total powder.  If you want to add dried fruit, coconut, etc, stir them and the nut mixture together in a bowl. Combine the wet and  dry ingredients and mix well.  Line a baking pan/dish with parchment paper (mine is foil on one side so it conforms to the pan- I would recommend it!).  You could also grease the dish.  Use wet hands to press the mixture into the dish really well- I made mine pretty thin and almost went to the edges of a 9 x 13 pan.  This is what mine looked like:

Freeze for at least a half hour, or until firm.  Take them out and cut them into bars.  They will likely still be a little soft, so I would put them back in the freezer for a while.  Store these in the fridge or the freezer to keep them nice and solid.

Here they are all done!  These will be nice to enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or a snack anytime during the day.  All natural and yummy!