It's Monday and your alarm screams for the fifth time and you can't snooze any more. It's time to wake up and get a move on. Sometimes I wish that Mondays didn't exist, but if they didn't, would Tuesdays be the new Mondays? And if Tuesday became the new Mondays, would Wednesday be that new Tuesday or Monday. My brain is hurting doing all this week math. Ya know what's easier? Powering through the ol' Gregorian calendar, something I'm pretty sure you can't change unless you follow some pretty easy steps and start your own country. Well be sure to send me a ticket when you start one. For now let's tackle our mundane Mondays and terrible Tuesdays followed by those W,T,F, days!

Breakfast. Read it again. Break. Fast. Whether you know it or not, you've been fasting every single day of your life. The word itself means 'to break a fast'. A fast that happens every night you go to bed, a slumber fast maybe? And all this daily fasting is a healing and important metabolic process for your body to make sure it functions right.

Fasting regulates the sugars and blood pressure and flow levels of your body. It's vital to aid your body in this healing process, and allow it to digest and process all residual food before it runs out and you're feeling hungry again. That time is called Breakfast, and it is probably the most important meal you'll have all day.

Starting your day right, also dictates how the rest of your day might go. Your temperament and mood swings can be controlled by making sure that you're eating the right foods that provide enough healthy fats, carbs, fiber, protein and natural sugars, to give you the energy to think and act in a balanced way. I've personally noticed a difference in my moods and energy levels when I eat a good breakfast. If you do skip that meal, you might notice some acidic build up in our tummy and in some cases it ends up as reflux. Ugh! So I'm not a doctor and this bar isn't medicine, but it does keep you full and moving on, come what may! Just sayin'!

All those nutrients I mentioned above can be derived from various sources, but nuts and fruit stand out first. I grew up eating this thing called the Anjeer barfi and it is delicious. Although it uses Ghee I used coconut oil instead for a bit more sustained energy and flavor profile. I recently found out the benefits of Figs (Anjeer) and its benefits for maintaining healthy sugar levels.

Although the food bars available in store pack a punch I was interested in turning this old Barfi recipe into a breakfast bar knowing the potential it packed as a solid food fuel. I added nuts and some Cardamom to it and it comes together as a sweet, chewy, nutty and fragrant breakfast bar.

And before I go, a well-deserved homage to the all mighty Cardamom. It's hard to understate it's impact on my food preferences. All my life, Cardamom has been a silent hero, adding a unique pleasant flavor to all kinds of foods—curries, breads, desserts and as a stand alone mouth freshener. Besides it's health benefits (my mom used to give me a pod or two to chew on to cure motion sickness when we were traveling to the hills and mountains on windy roads) it also uplifts your mood and has been known to aid in curing depression! Seriously when have you met a pod that could do it all? You haven't, and you're welcome. This so is a superfood, whether you agree or not. Card-A-Mom though sounds like a thing that moms would like. At bars. For that ego boost ;)

You guys this is so simple and fool proof, that if you didn't try it you might be missing out on possibly the simplest way to eat a power breakfast. And compared to store bought raw food bars this is just as affordable (maybe cheaper) and is way more fresher!

Give it a shot and you won't be disappointed.

Raw Power-By-The-Hour No Bake vegan breakfast bar.

Makes 10-12 6" bars.

10-12 Medjool dates (at your local grocery store)

8 Dried Turkish Figs (also at your local grocery store. Soaked in hot water for 10 mins.)

1 cup roasted Pistachios

1 cup Cashews

3-4 tbsp. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (at most grocery stores or here)

8 Cardamom pods or 1/2 tsp. powder if you prefer

Ok making this bar! Ready?

Throw the nuts in a blender with the cardamom. Pulse it 3 to 4 times to break them down to small pieces.

Power stuff for the Power-By-The-Hour bar

Throw the dates, figs and coconut oil in the blender. Blend it for 3-4 mins. When it looks nice and paste like. You. Are. Done.

Boom. Power breakfast is essentially ready.

Now you can shape them as balls, bars or whatever you like. I made mine into bars, and dumped the mix in a parchment-lined baking pan pressed it down with some coconut oil on my hands so it doesn't stick and let it rest in the fridge for an hour. When it all comes together just bring out a sharp knife and cut into bars and store in fridge for up to a week!

There you are folks. Let's break down breakfast and tackle it! Let's make it simple, delicious, nutritious and awesome.

Nomaste!