CLEAN-EATING "POWER PROTEIN BARS" RECIPE

Hi All .. I made these protein bars the other night from my EAT CLEAN DIET COOKBOOK and I thought I'd share it with you.. They came out really tasty.. ENJOY!!

Ingredients:
1 cup/ 240 ml whey or soy protein powder (or use the kind you are already familiar with )
1/2 cup/120 ml quinoa flour, or flour of your choice ( amaranth, millet, spelt, kamut
2 cups / 480 ml rolled oats- NOT instant
1/2 cup/120 ml oat bran
1/2 cup/120 ml coarsely chopped flax seed
1/2 cup/120 ml wheat germ
1 tsp/5 ml sea salt (don't skimp on this-sea salt provided valuable minerals and elements)
1 tsp/5ml cinnamon
1/4 tsp/2.75 ml nutmeg
1/2 cup/120ml sucanat or agave nector or organic honey
1 cup/240 ml dark chocolate, broken into pieces
1 1/2 to 2 cups/ (about 420 ml) yogurt cheese or soy yogurt cheese
1/4 cup/60 ml avocado oil, canola oil or healthy oil of your choice
2 tsp/30 ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp/15 ml best quality vanilla
Healthy cooking spray

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C . Coat a 9X13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

2. In large mixing bowl combine protein powder, flour, oats, oat bran, flax seed, wheat germ, sea salt, cinnamon,
nutmeg, and sucanat or other sweetener. Stir in broken chocolate pieces.

3. In another bowl, mix the yogurt cheese, oils, and vanilla. Mix well. Add the yogurt cheese mixture to the DRY ingredients.
Use your bare hands to combine these well. I like to coat my hands in olive oil to prevent sticking.

4. Place mixture in prepared pan. Press it down and even out the top. Bake on middle rack in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool and cut the dough into bars. Place these bars on a cooking sheet lined with silpat and bake again for another 15 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to wire cooling rack and let cool.
Place in airtight container and store in refrigerator. Makes anywhere from 20 to 24 bars, depending on how big you cut them..

FYI- I didn't have the silpat to line my cookie sheet. I used light cooking spray and they turned out perfect.
All of the ingredients I found at Whole Foods Mrkt and Trader Joes.

Nutritional value per serving:
Calories: 290 / calories from fat:73 / Protein:15 grams / Carbs: 40 grams
Dietary Fiber: 5 grams/ Sugars: 11 grams/ Fat:8 grams / Sodium: 80 mg

24 servings 20 mins to prepare 30 mins to bake

I hope you all enjoy these as I do.. HAPPY CLEAN EATING!!!!
Sylvia :flowerforyou: