Apple Carrot Date Bites

If you were in my seventh grade Spanish class, or had the very same text book, the sentence "Tengo una cita con Anita," would bring back memories, yes? 

It was the very first Spanish sentence we learned, and, if I didn't know better, it was also probably the general demise of society as we know it.

I mean, who teaches a seventh grader to have a date with Anita? 

All kidding aside, that awkward introduction reminded me of my lapse of judgment in having dates, too.

 As in, the food variety

 ...of dates 

...in case you weren't following the transition. 

But seriously, pitted dates are an excellent natural sweetener to any snack. Rich in calcium, manganese, copper, iron, fiber, potassium B complex vitamins and other cofactor nutritents, dates pack a healthy punch as anti-inflammatory and cancer preventative, as well as an energy booster.

We haven't given them enough limelight, methinks. And there are soooo many uses like in the date-nut crusts for pies and raw fruit energy bars.  

Plus, after Halloween, who doesn't need a good transitional recipe to wean off the the toxic refined sugars?   

***HANDS RAISED AND FLAPPING NOT AS VIGOROUSLY DUE TO SUGAR BLUES***

Just look at these little snacks.  They might not seem uber glamorous, but they are soooo tasty. And easy, which is right up my and the whole planet's alley.  

Apple Carrot Date Bites

Four ingredients: 

Carrots, pitted dates, apples, cinnamon

You'll need a food processor. 

Put a cup or so of carrots in food processor and pulse till chopped small. 

Add about 5-10 dates (depending on your desired sweetness) and a teaspoon of cinnamon to the carrots.

Pulse till nicely incorporated into a chunky meal. 

Slice apples into circular discs. You can leave the seeds or poke them out if desired.  

Spoon out the carrot-date mixture onto apple slice and build sandwiches to however many layers you like.

You can slice the sandwiches in half, but it is recommended to actually slice them into quarters so you can simply pop the sandwich into your mouth without smooshing the filling out as you bite into it.

But, you do what you want. I went halvesies as you can see. 

If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think! 

I swooned. Especially since I just threw out our Halloween candy and was looking for something sweet and healthy to make.

This is great for kid snacks and dessert-lets (I made that word up, but you know what I mean?) at parties.  

This was taken from Youtube recipe video if you want to see the step by step process. 

Salud con citas! 

("Citas" is not the proper Spanish rendering of the food word "dates" ...BUT, it could also be read by adults as "To your health with dates" as in, your love life, or general ability to socialize with the opposite sex in an appropriate manner. That, my friends, is just merely more awkward wordplay for your enjoyment.)