I’m not sure where the weekend went but I don’t remember any of it. Most likely because I was poisoned by my friend’s smoke machine at his Halloween party on Friday. This guy goes ALL OUT for Halloween and he crushes it. Especially since he has a girlfriend this year and his girlfriend had great snacks like peanut M&M’s and puppy chow. Aka crack. I think I ate my bodyweight in those chocolate nut balls of joy. I think it’s how I deal with social anxiety. Or that’s just my excuse for giving myself a stomach ache.
Parties already give me anxiety, but add on the stress of having to come up with a unique and funny costume or just dress like a ho fo sho, anxiety is HEIGHTENED. I’ve always been a social person, but anxiety is something I’ve always dealt with in some way. And it definitely continues to get worse as I get older and know how certain situations will go down. For example, our gym had a Halloween party Saturday night at a bar in town. I wanted to go and planned to go, but I didn’t want to dress up or drink. So I knew parking would be a nightmare then everyone would talk sh*t about not wearing a costume then ask why I wasn’t drinking or push drinks. And even though all of these things aren’t that big of a deal, I would much rather stay home and not deal with them at all.
But you know what? Missing out on these social situations with friends is a major bummer. So it’s something I need to work on. I would just much rather have a dinner party with fun cocktails in my own house, where I can wear ho fo sho slippers instead of a costume. That just sounds way more fun.
Oh sh*t, today is Halloween. Are you making my Edible Cookie Dough Bites for a Halloween treat tonight? Instead of handing out super sketchy candy that literally never goes bad (so scary) to random children I’ve never met and know nothing about, I’ll be eating these cookie dough bites by myself in our house with the lights off. Social events give me anxiety, but children give me even more anxiety. And I refuse to purchase candy that has ingredients like potassium sorbate, hydrogenated soybean oil, and high fructose corn syrup. No thank you!
Man, I am fun AF. And incredibly contradicting since I just said I ate my bodyweight in peanut M&M’s. Ugh, I’m the worst.
Happy Halloween, you beautiful soul! Instead of eating sketchy candy and opening your door to complete strangers, make these granola bars instead and keep that door closed! I listen to true crime podcasts, I know what happens to people who open their door to strangers! Don’t be that statistic!
Baked Pumpkin Spice Granola Bars
- Yield: 8 bars 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup cashew butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper for easy removal later.
- Place pecans and walnuts in a food processor and pulse to break down into small pieces.
- In a large bowl, use a spatula to mix together the pulsed pecans and walnuts with coconut, cashew butter, maple syrup, pumpkin, flaxseed meal, chia seeds, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and egg. Once combined, fold in 1/4 cup chocolate chips.
- Press batter into baking dish and spread evenly throughout. Place in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, until the middle is cooked through and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 20 minutes before removing from pan.
- Melt the remaining mini chocolate chips in a microwave or double boiler then use a spoon to scoop the chocolate and wave the spoon back and forth to spread the chocolate on top of the bars. Slice into 8 bars. Store in refrigerator.
Notes
____________
More Bars!
Chocolate Dipped Caramel Nut Bars
Chocolate “Peanut Butter” Cookie Bars
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Have you listened to Dirty John yet????
i haven’t!! downloading it now!
These look and sound amazing!!
We are starting a new tradition this year with my girls cuz I never really cared for Halloween and all the junk kids get. I’m surprising them with a trip to Main Event to play arcade game for a couple hours…probably after going by Chipotle for a $3 boorita bowl 😉 #noshameinmygame
Here’s to hoping they like their surprise and I can start a new tradition without getting them hoped up on sugar 😛
love it!!
Oh god, I hear you!!!! Not only do social gatherings give me anxiety, which I don’t really understand because I’m a social person, but it is made 100% worse because I don’t like to drink. I hate everyone asking why I’m not drinking, as if putting poison into my body is the norm and I’m the weirdo? And then comes the question–are you pregnant? Like, thanks, no I guess I just look fat.
EVERY TIME. everyone’s always jokes about that because they know i’m so far off from being pregnant. i get it’s a funny joke and all, but only so many times lol
YES! to all of this. Only I ate skittles instead of M&M’s. My head is still throbbing from the sugar two days later. And why is trick or treating still a thing? If I ever have children (which is a very big IF), I can’t imagine letting them take candy from random strangers. There are way too many creepy people out there. So glad I’m not the only one keeping the light off and hiding in the basement. haha!
lol omg i had a throbbing headache ALL DAY yesterday! didn’t put it together until now!
Oh, fuck. Puppy chow. I forgot how much I love that shit…
it.was.insane. totally worth the sugar hangover.
These look so good! I’m going to have to make a batch!
hope you like them, katie!
These look amazing! A little afraid to make them because I know I will eat them all for sure. Probably within 24 hours.
hahaha i had to send them to my husbands office to get away from them!
Hi Juli! I, too, have social anxiety. SEVERE social anxiety. I hated this part of myself for most of my adult life, until I realized…this is just who you are. And it’s OK! I stopped looking at myself as if there were something wrong with me. There’s nothing wrong with me, it’s just how God made me. I’ve stopped forcing myself into situations that make me feel uncomfortable and accepted that this is just part of my make-up. Conversely, my social anxiety also makes me a very sensitive, caring person. I’m sensitive to how others are feeling. I’m more accepting of people and their foibles.
Might I make a suggestion to you, that helped me greatly? Long story short, after being with my husband for over 10 years, we sat down one day with his family to discuss some personal issues. I told his family that one of the reasons I am so quiet/aloof/withdrawn is because of my social anxiety. They had NO IDEA I was dealing with this issue! It really changed how they viewed me and I think it led them to be more accepting and understanding of me. You are a person who, at first glance, strikes me as very confident, bubbly, fun-loving, and social. In other words, the LAST person I’d suspect would have social anxiety! Perhaps sharing this with your close friends and family would help them be more sensitive to you, and also make you feel more comfortable with saying “no” sometimes when you’re not feeling up to it. I feel so much more comfortable being “myself” now that I’ve let others know my struggles. I’m basically a “happy hermit.” 🙂
i definitely had to explain that to my husband and he helps out with it so much. thanks for the recommendation, i may have to use that a few times!
So I’m weirdly excited to give out candy this year because we have always lived in apartments, but I will admit my MFM and true crime obsession has me a little freaked to hand out candy before my husband gets home. Trick or treating is starting at 4 pm (wtf?) where we’re living right now so I’m just going to keep some pepper spray in my pocket I guess? Anxiety is the worst sometimes!
Definitely making these this week for my moms BFF who is going through chemo and isn’t interested in most foods. But she loves pumpkin and fall! And making her something that is a treat but healthy seems perfect ????