Protein bars have grown in popularity due to their convenience. The bars can be carried around and eaten at any time and place, perfect for people who skip breakfast or lunch. These bars are also a staple snack for weight lifters or anyone who enjoys a good workout. Although they won’t magically increase your muscle mass, they help to sculpt your muscles and define your body. Research says that if you do not eat protein within one hour of your workout, the gym time counts as wasted energy. Protein bars bought from the store usually contain preservatives, artificial sugar, and glycerin. They are also very expensive. Here is an easy recipe for making these healthy protein bars at home:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 cup flaxseeds
- ½ cup white flour
- ¼ cup nut mix (almonds, pistachio, walnuts, peanuts)
- 1 cup dates, raisins and figs
- 1 cup coconut powder
- Vanilla protein powder
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- Honey
- Cooking oil or olive oil spray
- Square or rectangle baking dish
Method:
Put the oats and flaxseeds in the food processor. Depending on your taste, grind them to your desired consistency. I prefer a chewy bar. Remove in a bowl and keep aside.Add the dates, raisins, and figs in the processor and mix. You can increase or decrease the quantities according to your taste. You can even substitute with cherries, blueberries, apricots, mashed bananas, strawberries, apples etc.
Once they are finely chopped, add the white flour, nut mix, coconut powder and protein powder. Mix well.Coconut will give out its natural oil and will help bind the dough.
The nuts cover up the bland flavor of flaxseed and oats and give it a much richer texture. Use whey protein if you are not going to consume the bars in a day. It lasts longer than soya protein.Add the oats and flaxseeds mixture and cardamom powder and mix well.
Add enough honey to bind the dough. You can even make a mixture of honey and water. For a different taste, try date syrup or all natural applesauce or sugar-free maple syrup, homemade apricot sauce etc.
As a little added extra why not drip some melted Divine chocolate (available here) on your protein bars just to give them that extra bit of kick! You can even add some orange juice if you want a little tangy flavor to your protein bars. Spray the baking dish with cooking olive oil and put the crumbly dough mixture. Press down. The consistency will be like pie base. Bake on high until the edges are golden brown. Allow it to cool and then cut into wedges. These refrigerate very well.
This article was written by Thomas Flynn, a champion body builder and fitness fanatic. Let us know what you think of the receipe – was it easy to follow? Did your protein bars taste nice? Let us know in the comments below!
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