Week 7 Distraction: Homemade Snacks without processed sugars

lawyerette

Hi everyone. You all have been kinda quiet and since the most successful groups (and participants) in challenges are the ones who stay engaged throughout the process, I thought I'd start another discussion about something we haven't gotten to: SNACKS!

I have found that the best snacks are those that stimulate brown fat cells to keep burning and are incorporated into a routine of smaller meals so that I am eating 5-6 times each day. Lately, I've been switching between Lara Bars and the new Kellogg's Fiber/Protein bars (with peanuts and mixed nuts). Knowing that we're going to start trying for a baby in 11 weeks (yup, wedding night), I've started to reevaluate my food choices and am starting to switch us off processed foods where I can.

SO, I'm wondering what you all like to do for wholesome snacks.

I am going to reply to this with a list of Protein Bar recipes that Erica262 commented on earlier (saw it in my news feed) from 000WhiteRose0, so they aren't my recipes. They just looked awesome. I'm looking forward to seeing what you all are snacking on.

Good luck with Week 7 and do reach out to me if you need anything at all!

~Ebeth

lawyerette

Borrowed from 000WhiteRose0 MFP Post: TOPIC: PROTEIN BARS - HOMEMADE!!!!

Ok, so I'm an obsessed cook and baker. Thought I would share my collection with you!

CLEAN EATING PUMPKIN SPICE PROTEIN BARS
(Makes 15 bars)
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups quick oats
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 cup whey protein powder
• 2 tablespoons spice, like cinnamon
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 175c degrees.
2. Roast your oats for 10-15 minutes on a cookie sheet (Or until they turn a nice golden brown). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.
3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
4. Spread dough to 1/2 inch thickness in a baking dish or 1/2 sized cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until the dough has a nice golden brown appearance.
6. Allow to cool. Slice into bars and store in a Tupperware.
Nutritional Content:
(Data is for 1 bar)
Calories: 238
Total Fat: 10 gm
Saturated Fats: 2 gm
Trans Fats: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 0 gm
Sodium: 84 mg
Carbohydrates: 25 gm
Dietary fiber: 3 gm
Sugars: 11 gm
Protein: 13 gm
Estimated Glycemic Load: 12


PB & PUMPKIN BARS
(220 Calories, 10g Fat, Protein 14g, Carbohydrates 18g)

1/2 cup vanilla protein powder
1 tbsp all-natural PB
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/8 cup 3% milk
1 tbsp coconut flour
1/4 + 2 tbsp flaked coconut
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, except 2 tbsp of flaked coconut to be used for the coating.
2. Shape the mix into 4 bars.
3. Coat the bars by rolling them in the coconut.
4. Wrap each of the bars up in foil.



CHOCOLATE BARS
(280 Calories, 14g Fat, Protein 17g, Carbohydrates 20g)
1/2 cup of chocolate whey protein powder
3 tbsp natural almond or peanut butter
1/2 cup ground oats
2 tbsp coconut flour
2 tbsp of ground almonds or peanuts
4 squares of 70%+ cacao dark chocolate
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender except for the chocolate.
2. Shape the mix into 4 bars.
3. Melt the chocolate and dip each of the bars into it.
4. Spread the bars in the fridge for an hour of freezer for 20 minutes.
5. Wrap each bar in foil.







PUMPKIN PEANUT BUTTER OATMEAL BARS
One bowl + One spoon + Oven = Bars in about a half hour
The pumpkin flavor really shines through. Between the pumpkin puree and the pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin lovers can rejoice.
The peanut butter is nicely balanced with the pumpkin and the flavors complement each other, but these are definitely pumpkin-peanut butter bars, not peanut butter-pumpkin bars.
Pumpkin Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
• 1/2 c peanut butter
• 1 c pumpkin puree (i.e. Libby’s in a can and if you don’t have pumpkin puree in your market, use sweet potato puree either canned or sweet potatoes that you boil/puree yourself)
• 2 c oats (whole rolled, not quick cook)
• 1 c brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 c white sugar
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (reduce/increase to taste)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (reduce/increase to taste)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Optional: Add raisins, nuts, chocolate/white/peanut butter chips to the mixture. I’d suggest starting with 1/3 to 1/2 c and going from there based on taste preference.
Directions: Combine all ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir by hand. Spread batter (it will be pretty moist) into a foil-lined and spayed 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan. Bake at 350F for 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. The bars may still look underdone, but that’s ok because they will continue to set up as they cool. Allow to cool very well before slicing. Store extras on the countertop, refrigerator, or in the freezer for long term storage.
Notes: All measurements are approximate and if you love peanut butter or pumpkin puree, add a bit more of either.
Reduce the sugar amounts if you wish or even attempt a sugar-free version by making with stevia
Adjust baking time as necessary based on your own recipe substitutions.
Combine all Ingredients & Mix
Press into the foil-lined and sprayed pan
Bake, Cool, Slice & Serve
Frost them if you desire. Or have patience and can refrain from immediately chomping down the minute they are cool enough to devour.
I had no such patience and just dug in.
These bars made a pumpkin liar outta me


NAKED VANILLA WHEY AND COCONUT PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients - mixed together in a bowl:

1/4 cup (25g) of coconut flakes
1/4 cup (28g) of vanilla whey protein powder
1/4 cup (32g) of quinoa flakes
2 tbsp (23g) of coconut flour

mix everything together with about 1/2 cup (about 100ml) of water (or milk if you want them to have a creamier flavor!)
You can mix them with a fork or spoon or whip out a handheld blender to do the job. Up to you.

Macros per one bar out of the four you get from the mix above:

124kcals, 8g protein, 8.4g carbos (1.5g sugars), 6g fat (4.5g sat - from the coconut), and 4.4g fiber!


CHERRY & DARK CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients

1/2 cup of vanilla whey
1/4 cup of oat flour (or sub this with some almond flour)
1/4 cup of coconut flour (could sub with ground almonds too)
1/4 cup of almond milk
16 cherries
50 grams of 90% dark chocolate

Directions: Start by pitting your cherries and blend half of them with the whey + coconut flour + oatflour + milk. Then, chop the rest of your cherries and add them to the batter, mixing everything around with as spoon so as to retain the chopped cherries' texture. Shape this mix into four bars. If it's too wet or sticky, add a bit more coconut flour (or vanilla casein). After this, melt your chocolate in a bain marie (a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water) and either dip the bars in there or spoon the melted chocolate on the bars to coat them. Finally, just leave them to set in the freezer for about an hour and baaam: ready :-)

Macros per bar (out of the four small ones you get from the ingredients above): 223kcals, 15g protein, 14g carbs (out of which 5.5 is fiber!) and 10g fat (5.9g sat).


THE WORLD'S SMALLEST MOST DELICIOUS VANILLA & DARK CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients
1/2 cup of vanilla whey protein
1/8 cup of vanilla pea protein powder (or vanilla casein!)
1/8 cup of quinoa flour (or oat flour)
10 ground brazil nuts
1/4 cup of carton coconut milk (or almond milk or cow's milk)
40 grams of dark chocolate (to coat)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and shape the mix into eight mini bars.

Then, place the bars in the fridge so they become easier to coat later.

Melt 40 grams of 100% dark chocolate (or anything above 70%) in a bain marie (i.e. a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water).

Once the chocolate has melted, dunk your bars in there one by one to coat them and transfer them to the freezer for 20 minutes or the fridge for a couple of hours until the chocolate sets.

Macros per bar (out of eight tiny ones):
122kcals
8.5g protein
6.6g carbs (out of which 3.2g fiber!)
6.9g fat (out of which 3.5g sat)


Note: If you'd like to bring down the fat content in these bars, ditch the brazil nuts and add some almonds or seeds instead. You could also add some coconut flakes for a bit of an extra crunch or add some chopped (instead of ground up) nuts to the mix.

Note 2: If you want to substitute the vanilla protein powder for another flavor like, say, banana, banoffee, or even chocolate, be my guest! The end product will be equally tasty ;-)



DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients (mixed together with a spoon/fork) Makes six:

1.5 cups of chocolate brown rice protein powder (you can sub this with casein if you want or whey or a combo of casein and whey)
3/4 cup of oat flour (or coconut flour or ground almonds)
1/4 cup of smooth organic peanut butter (or almond butter or sunflower butter or coconut oil)
1/8 cup of chopped pecans (or seeds or chocolate pieces)
1/8 cup of flaked coconut (optional)
1 and a 1/2 cup of milk (basically enough to bind the above mix together; you can use but milk, cow's milk, rice milk, hemp milk - anything you like)

Make a pasty, thick, nonsticky batter that you can eat raw and nommmmm at length for. This is where the oat flour/coconut flour/ground almonds come in handy - they dry up the mix, making it 'bitable'. What you DON'T want, is to end up with a hard or really sticky batter because then your protein bar will be annoying you chew threw and all the yumminess will be thrown out the window next to a hum-hum texture (you don't want this).
So yeah. You mix all the above ingredients together and then, in a bain marie (a pot inside a pot), you melt some chocolate (I used 87% dark). After your bars are nicely shaped (note: you do NOT need to bake them), you just either coat them in chocolate by throwing them inside the melted chocolate, or you spoon the melted chocolate on top. When coated, just throw them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes and READY!!!!! Wrap them in tin foil
Macros per bar: 225kcals, 15g protein, 12g carb (2.5g sugars), 16g fat and 5g fiber. Remember, to tweak your macros, just tweak your filling! You can, for instance, up the protein and lower the carbos by using almond flour, you can reduce the fat by using less nut butter, you can up the carbos by, say, throwing in a date or two, etc etc




JAMIE EASON'S LIVEFIT RECIPES: CINNAMON SWIRL PROTEIN BREAD

Nutrition Facts:
Makes 16 squares
1 square = 55 calories, 1 g fat, 8 g carbs, 5 g protein
Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup Xylitol
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or ¼ cup Stevia in the Raw
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
• 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 175
2. . Spray an 8 X 8 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
3. In small bowl combine: (set aside)
4. 1/3 cup Ideal (Xylitol)
5. 2 tsp cinnamon
6. In a large bowl combine: (whisk together)
7. 1 1/2 cups oat flour + 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
8. 1 tbsp baking powder
9. 1/2 tsp salt
10. 1/2 cup Ideal (Xylitol) or ¼ cup Stevia in the Raw
11. In a medium bowl combine: (whisk together & add to lrg bowl)
12. 2 egg whites
13. 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (Almond Breeze)
14. 1/3 cup or 1 4oz jar of baby food applesauce and ¼ cup low sugar vanilla yogurt (optional)
15. Pour a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter).
16. Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & cinnamon/sugar on top.
17. Draw a knife through the batter to marble. Bake for 24 to 28 min. Let cool for 10 min. Bread will be dense.



COCONUT, ALMOND, GINGER AND VANILLA PROTEIN BAR

Ingredients
1/8 cup of vanilla casein (10g)
1/8 cup of ground almonds (15g)
1 heaping tbsp of coconut flour (15g)
1 tbsp of ground coconut (7g)
1-2 tsp of grated fresh ginger (could always use ground ginger instead)
3 squares of 80% chocolate (30g)

Now, you can make one big bar out of the above or two smaller ones (or three even smaller ones). Here's what you do: mix all the ingredients together (except for the chocolate), adding a tbsp of water at a time until a pasty paste is made (you could use milk instead of water too but I use water so I can keep them in my bag for longer without worrying about them having to be fridged). When it's pasty enough to allow you to shape it, shape it into two rectangles (or one or three) and stick them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes. Then, melt your chocolate in a bain marie (i.e. in a glass bowl stuck over a pot with boiling water). When the chocolate is melted, dunk your bars in there so they get a nice coating. Place the bars on some baking paper and spoon whatever chocolate is left in the bowl. Stick the bars in the freezer for 20-30 minutes and boooom! ready :-)))))

Macros per 1 out of 2 bars: 215kcals, 13g protein, 7.7g carbs (3g sugars), 15g fat (7.5g sat - from coconut), and 7g fiber.
THE BEST LOW CARB PROTEIN BROWNIES IN THE WORLD - A GUEST RECIPE BY LAYNE NORTON!


Ingredients:
85g chocolate whey
92g unsweetened dark chocolate
240g egg whites/egg substitute
80g cooking splenda
1 tablespoon baking powder
60g reduced calorie butter
120g walden farms zero calorie chocolate syrup
228g zero fat cream cheese

Directions: Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Set cream cheese out for 20-30 minutes to soften and mix all the ingredients in large bowl using a hand mixer until your batter is nice and smooth. Then, pour batter into baking tray (spray first). Bake at 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Allow them to cool and BAAAAAAAAAM! Enjoy :-D

Macros per one brownie out of twenty (if you choose to slice into 5 rows of 4 like I did): 59.4kcals,
1.78g carbs, 7.2g protein, 2.5g fat, 0.55g fiber.



GRANOLA BARS

You can either sigh when you hear the words “back to school” or you can smile and think of all the positives that go along with it! A new year means football games, dances, being with your friends, having a chance to show off your competitive side with your grades, sports or extra activities and a clean slate to a healthy lifestyle. Take advantage of the new year and work on a new you! Go after your goals and work harder than you ever have before.
Here is a healthy recipe that you can add to the “healthy school snacks” It’s perfect for on the go and super easy to make. I made about 20 of these yesterday morning and bagged them up to snack on for the next couple weeks. This recipe comes in handy no matter who you are or where you plan on eating them. Its perfect for the office, sending your kids to daycare, road trips, before sports, study snacks and breakfast. It’s also vegan for those looking for healthy vegan recipes.It’s so natural and healthy that guilt wont haunt you after you’re done.
Ingredients:
• 1 Cup Unsweetened Organic Coconut
• 1 Large Banana (Extra Ripe)
• 1 Cup Whole Grain Oats
• 1 Tbsp Organic Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Cup Ground Flax Seed
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
• 2 Tbsp Mini Vegan Chocolate Chips
• 1 Packet Truvia (Your Choice Of Sweetener)
Add banana, coconut, flax seed, vanilla, oats and Truvia to electric mixer and mix on low speed.
Add unsweetened almond milk 1 tbsp at a time slowly increasing the mixer’s speed.
Preheat oven to 175
Grease a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray.
Pour granola mixture onto baking sheet and spread out into a square shape with a spatula.
Try to spread and flatten the mixture evenly as possible without puncturing the shape.
Evenly distribute the mini chocolate chips on the granola and lightly press them down.
Bake 11-13 minutes or until the edges are lightly brown.
Before the granola starts to harden take a knife and cut the square into 8 even rectangles.
1 Bar : Calories 85, Fat : 4g, Carbs 14g, Fiber 5g, Sugar 2g, Protein 3.4g



CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR

70g of unsalted cooked black beans
37g of chocolate protein powder
12g ground almonds
5g of coconut flour
13g of brazil nut butter
10g of goji berries
coconut milk
90% chocolate - 23g's worth of chocolate

In a bowl, mix black beans + protein powder + ground almonds + coconut flour + brazil nut butter + goji berries. Mix it all with coconut milk. Use your hands. Make rectangles. Dip them in melted chocolate. Freeze them. It yielded two good sized bars
Macros per bar: 280kcals, 22g protein, 13g carbs, 15g fat and 4.5g fiber!

HAZELNUT, DARK CHOCOLATE, AND COFFEE LOW-CARB PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients

1/2 cup (54g) of Chocolate protein powder
1 tbsp (20g) of nut butter
2.5 tbsp (30g) of coconut flour
3/8 cup (83ml) of milk
1 tbsp of ground coffee beans

Step 1: Make yourself a cup of coffee with the milk and coffee.

Step 2: Blend it with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl using just a spoon. You want to end up with a 'dough' that you can grab and shape with your hands. So, if your mix is at this point too liquidy or sticky, add a tiny bit more coconut flour (or casein or brown rice protein powder) until you get to the right consistency.

Step 3: Then, melt 3 squares of dark chocolate (I used Lindt 90%) in a bain marie (i.e. a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water).

Step 4: When the chocolate has melted, dip your bars in there to coat them and, once coated, transfer them to the freezer for half an hour. That's it, you're done.


Macros per bar (out of the four small ones you get from the mix above):

165.2kcals
4.7g carbs (out of which 3.6g is fiber!)
12g protein
9.6g fat (3.9g saturated)





DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PROTEIN BARS


Ingredients (mixed together with a spoon/fork) Makes six:

1.5 cups of Chocolate protein powder
3/4 cup of oat flour (or coconut flour or ground almonds)
1/4 cup of smooth organic peanut butter (or almond butter or sunflower butter or coconut oil)
1/8 cup of chopped pecans (or seeds or chocolate pieces)
1/8 cup of flaked coconut (optional)
1 and a 1/2 cup of milk

rule: make a pasty, thick, nonsticky batter that you can eat raw and nommmmm at length for. This is where the oat flour/coconut flour/ground almonds come in handy - they dry up the mix, making it 'bitable'. What you DON'T want, is to end up with a hard or really sticky batter because then your protein bar will be annoying you chew threw and all the yumminess will be thrown out the window next to a hum-hum texture (you don't want this). So yeah. You mix all the above ingredients together and then, in a bain marie (a pot inside a pot), you melt some chocolate (I used 87% dark). After your bars are nicely shaped (note: you do NOT need to bake them), you just either coat them in chocolate by throwing them inside the melted chocolate, or you spoon the melted chocolate on top. When coated, just throw them in the freezer for 15-20 minutes and READY!!!!! Wrap them in tin foil and take them with you

Macros per bar: 225kcals, 15g protein, 12g carb (2.5g sugars), 16g fat and 5g fiber.



VANILLA AND COCONUT PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients:
• 1 cup oat flour / coconut flour (120g)
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup Truvia or Splenda, 15g
• 8 oz baby food applesauce – 2 small tubs / jars
• Coconut chips – 15g
• 4 oz water – just use 1 empty tub / jar of baby food

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 180c
2. Mix flour, vanilla whey protein, salt, baking soda in large bowl.
3. Mix egg whites, Splenda, applesauce and water in a bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray 8x8 glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.
6. Pour ingredients into dish.
7. Bake 30 minutes.
Makes 16 squares, 2 squares per serving.

Rough Macros: depending on what you use: Calories: 111 Carbs: 8 Protein: 9 Fat: 4




PUMPKIN PROTEIN BARS

Ingredients:
• ½ cup turvia
• 4 oz. jar baby food applesauce
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground clove
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 can of raw pumpkin
• 2 Cup Soy Flour
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• ½ cup milk
• ½ C chopped walnuts

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 / 180.
2. Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
3. Combine first 11 ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the final 4 ingredients, and mix until incorporated. Spread batter into the Pyrex dish and bake for 30 min.
5. Makes 24 squares.

Rough Macros: depending on what you use: Calories: 109 Carbs: 6 Protein: 10 Fat: 5



CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BAR – FROZEN DESERT

Ingredients:
• Coconut flour – 80g
• Chopped Walnuts -10g
• Chocolate Whey Protein – 90g
• Dark chocolate drops or chips – 10g
• Cocoa Powder – 5g
• Milk – 100ml
• Vanilla Extract – 1tsp
• Truvia or sweetener – 3.5g
• Enough water to make it into dough (about 1 cup)
Mix all together and form dough. Tear 5 pieces and shape them into bars. Wrap in cling film and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Rough Macros: depending on what you use: Calories: 169 Carbs: 8 Protein: 18 Fat: 6

PEANUT BUTTER BAR – FROZEN DESERT
Ingredients:
• Chocolate whey protein – 90g
• Coconut Flour – 70g
• PB2 Peanut butter flour – 4 TBSP
• Walnuts Halves – 15g
• Milk – 200ml
• Truvia or sweetener – 3.5g
• Enough water to make it into dough (about 1 cup)

Mix all together and form dough. Tear 6 pieces and shape them into bars. Wrap in cling film and freeze for at least 4 hours.

Rough Macros: depending on what you use: Calories 155 Carbs: 7 Protein: 17 Fat: 6





PUMPKIN PROTEIN BARS
• 4 TBS coconut flour
• 3/4 cup vanilla protein powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice to your preference [I used 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 2 t of p.p spice]
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 6 egg whites
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1.5 t vanilla extract
stevia to taste [ I used nunatural vanilla ]Mix dry ingredients in a bowl (flour –> salt).
Mix wet ingredients in separate bowl (egg whites, pumpkin, vanilla, stevia).
Add wet to dry.
Spray 8×8 pan, and bake for 30 minutes at 350F
Love it!! I know whats going into the bar, and I can control the sugar amount. In this case: none!
After cooling in the pan, I cut into 9 bars, wrapped them up and put them in the fridge so they last for the week. If you try these let me know how they come out!
GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE COCONUT PROTEIN BARS

I recently made these Chocolate Coconut Protein Bars, and they were pretty good! The triple amount of coconut provides the energy element, and the protein powder gives you the protein. It's the best of both worlds; energy and protein rolled into one bar. Why make both a protein and energy bar when you can have them both in one?
The bars were pretty delicate. If you want them moister you could add another egg or more oil if you wanted a higher oil serving. Either way, this recipe is pretty forgiving so feel free to play around with it a bit until you get the desired texture and results. I made a half batch and pressed it into a greased square glass pan and then cut it into bars. That way it comes out looking more like a bar instead of a cookie or something.
The bars are very filling; you can only eat so much. The chia seeds expand in your stomach and give you that "full" feeling pretty quickly, which is a good thing.
Be sure to check the recipe out, and comment if you have any questions or comments of your own.
Enjoy everyone!
Sarah


CHOCOLATE COCONUT GLUTEN FREE PROTEIN BAR
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2-4 tablespoons sweetener of your choice (ex: whole sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc.)
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, optional
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup grated or flaked dried coconut, unsweetened
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 cup chocolate whey powder, optional
• 1 cup coconut flour
Preheat oven to 190. Grease cookie sheet(s) with extra coconut oil.
Melt oil if needed and in a large bowl stir in remaining ingredients with the oil until well blended. Place spoon sized mounds unto prepared cookie sheets and pat down slightly into bars.
Bake in preheated oven for 14-15 minutes. Don't overcook.
Recipe submitted by Virginia, Circle, MT

CHOCOLATE AND NUTS PROTEIN BAR
Ingredients
6 scoops chocolate protein powder (Half Casein/Half WPC but any will do)
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup cashews
2 eggs whole
2 egg whites
1/2 cup LSA mix
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup skim milk

Directions
Preheat oven to 175
Beat eggs and egg whites together.
Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Ensure ingredients are well mixed before adding the skim milk and eggs. Stir mixture well, it will become very thick. Add up to another 1/2 cup of water slowly until mixture is a sticky dough.
Spray an 8″x8″ tray with olive oil. Spread mixture evenly in pan and pop in the oven for 15 minutes. When cooked the bars should still be slightly sticky inside. Cut into 6 pieces and store in the fridge.






HIGH PROTEIN BAR RECIPE
Over the past few months I’ve been experimenting to find the perfect protein bar recipe. When I first started I was experimenting with a low carb diet and I used nut meal, nuts and protein powder. However the recipe’s came out very dry and I was really looking for something that would last the whole week.
So when I came back onto a higher carbohydrate diet I started adding oats and experimenting around with different amounts of fruit and nuts. I think I’ve got it pretty close to perfect now. Here’s the recipe of my favourite:
Fruit and Nut Protein Bar
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup sultanas
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried ginger, chopped
• 2 cups oats, raw
• 4 scoops (120g) vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup skim milk
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir up. Add just enough water so that the mixture becomes wet all the way through (you can experiment with water amount from batch to batch). Spread (you should have to spread it like a wet dough) the mixture in a olive oil sprayed small baking tray (8″x8″).
Cook in a preheated oven for 20-30 minutes on 180º C (350ºF). The top should become golden and look glazed. Cut into 8 pieces. Eat immediately or let it cool for a good hour or so and store in a tupperware container in the fridge. The pictured bar has almonds and chopped dried ginger on top.
Eat it as a snack for morning tea or as post workout nutrition. You will never be satisfied by a measly store bought muesli bar again! Keep your eyes out for more high protein snacks in the future.




CHOCOLATE PROTEIN BARS
Calories: 96
Fat: 1.4 grams
Carbs: 12 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Ingredients:
• 1 cup Oat Flour
• 4 Egg Whites
• 2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
• ½ cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 8oz Berry flavored Baby Food
• 3 tbsp Baking Cocoa
• 4oz Water
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients (oat flower, vanilla whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl.
3. Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Splenda, Berry flavored Baby Food,Water) together in a medium sized bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray cooking dish with a non stick butter spray and add batter to dish.
6. Bake 20-30 minutes in oven.
Makes 16 squares, serving size=2 bars.







JAMIE EASON'S LIVEFIT RECIPES: PUMPKIN PROTEIN BARS
Jamie Eason sets out to prove that pumpkin desserts can be delicious and nutritious - both peacefully coexisting in one pumpkin protein bar.
Who hasn't experienced the guilty pleasure of a tasty pumpkin scone, cheesecake, or bread at the local coffee shop? Unfortunately, they're pretty unhealthy, but they're so darn delicious! If only there was a healthy down-home pumpkin piece of heaven that someone on a diet could enjoy...
Well, there is—and I've got the recipe! You might not have guessed, but pumpkin is a very nutritious fruit offering a bunch of great health benefits. Unfortunately, those benefits are usually offset by adding too much sugar, simple carbs, and fat. However, this edition of LiveFit Recipes proves that you can throw a whole mess of healthy ingredients together to make a pumpkin protein bar that's soft, supple, and sinfully delicious.

Nutrition (without walnuts): 1 square = 47 calories, .7 g fat, 8 g carbs, 3.7 g protein
Nutrition (with walnuts): 1 square = 63 calories, 2.3 g fat, 8 g carbs, 4 g protein
Ingredients:
• ½ C Xylitol Brown Sugar Blend (Ideal)
• 1 - 4 oz. jar baby food applesauce
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground clove
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 - 15 oz. can of raw pumpkin
• 2 C oat flour
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ C chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Spray a 9 X 13 Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.
3. Combine first 11 ingredients and mix well.
4. Add the final 3 ingredients (4, if adding walnuts), and mix until incorporated. Spread batter into the Pyrex dish and bake for 30 min.
5. Makes 24 squares.

kluginbill1

These are my absolute favorite for quick protein..I freeze them and they taste like cookie dough! So good and a quick and easy protein snack she has other flavors if you look through her recipe page, but these are the ones I've made!

http://fitnessista.com/2011/01/ballz-for-all/

jkcrawford

I try not to snack. If I do I try to have fruit.

lawyerette

I try not to snack. If I do I try to have fruit.

Really?? My nutritionist insists I eat 5-6 times a day (2-3 snacks). Do you get hungry?

irishgrim

i love that you've put these on here! thanks!

Tandksmommy11

This has me hungry, and I want a snack mix! What goodies can I put in a snack mix so that it's loose and not in bar form?

lawyerette

When I make Cullen's, I usually use almonds and walnuts with his favorite dried fruits (raisins, strawberry, blueberry, cranberry). Sometimes, he insists on chocolate, so I try to use yogurt chips because they are better for him.