Protein Bar of the Year

In what feels like my gazillionth attempt to loose this weight, be healthier and just feel better, I have tried to really research healthy weight loss and take a good look at my eating habits.  To be 100% honest with myself and ask for help because I have no idea what to do. What worked for me when I was 18 is obviously now working now. I was given this recipe for a homemade protein bar. And I will be the first to admit that when talk of health or diet shakes, bars and drinks come up I will be the first to scoff and be roll my eyes. But I have changed. I think researching things for myself and listening to what my body was telling me helped a lot. It took time, a few weeks, of a lot of reading and question asking (to reliable and trusted sources) to really get myself set up for the mind change. And I think that is what makes the biggest difference for me, the mind change. It's all great for me to go all gung ho into something but to make a lifestyle change this big I needed to know more for myself. 

Okay enough deep thoughts from me, mooooving on! 

 I don't know why the thought of homemade protein bars was so scary for me....maybe because I hate the store bought kind and did not want to waste my time or money making something that would just get tossed in the garbage in a few weeks when I cleaned out my cupboards and discovered them becoming food artifacts. This recipe was so easy and quick, which I think for most of us is very appreciated! I literally put these together one morning in the time it took my daughter to eat her breakfast. 

Plus I think most of us have the ingredients already in our cupboards 

which again is perfect and easy!

Homemade (GOODNESS) Protein Bars

makes about 16 bars

2 cups oatmeal

2 scoops vanilla or chocolate protein powder 

(i just used my protein shake, which is

chocolate eclair flavored - i know right!)

1 cup shredded coconut

1 -1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (your choice!)

1 - 1 1/2 cups dried fruit (your choice!)

1 cup peanut butter

2/3 cup honey

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 - 1/2 cup coconut oil

1 cup ground flax seed

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Mix in the wet ingredients until nice and moist. Press evenly into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate for at least and hour before slicing into desired size.

Easy? 

I cut my pan into 16 bars, but you can definitely make them bigger or smaller.I then wrapped each one in a piece of plastic wrap and put them all in a zip lock bag before putting them in the freezer. My bar defrosted in about 20 minutes on my counter. 

Seems like the cool kids are making protein balls instead of bars! If you want to be one of the cool kids, you could most definitely do that with this recipe. Just let your pan sit in the fridge for an hour and then shape into your cool kid balls. I would then place them on baking tray and set them in the freezer for a bit before bagging them up so they don't become one big beryllium sphere of protein bars. (ha ha movie reference!) 

:: enjoy :: 

Yee Haw! It's Cowboy Pie y'all

When someone says the word casserole I think a lot of us kind of cringe inside! But this Cowboy Pie served with a side of BBQ sauce was get-in-my-tummy-now delicious! Probably the simplest casserole dish I've ever made that came out with that kind of result. And sprinkling my homemade smoked seasoning across the crust was destiny for this pie.

 Plus its another great way to use that delicious pie crust.

Have I ever shared with you how I feel about my freezer? I love it so much. So. Dang. Much. I am all about prepping and freezing. I cook up pounds of ground hamburger, roast chicken breasts, slow cook beef cuts and store in the freezer so it's all ready to grab and go. So for this recipe I used a pound of my precooked beef cuts which made this prep so incredibly easy. You can use whatever kind of roast suits you, even sliced deli roast beef would work.

Cowboy Pie

serves 4 to 6

1 onion, chopped fine

2 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into small pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon chili powder

 2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and pepper

1 pound roast beef, cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

1 cup corn, frozen or canned

1/2 -3/4 cup BBQ sauce

1/2 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Pie Crust for the top

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Microwave onion, bell pepper, oil, chili powder, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the roast beef, beans, corn, BBQ sauce, broth, and cornstarch. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer mixture to 9-inch pit plate

3. Carefully lay pie crust over top. Tuck over dough underneath itself to be flush with the rim of the pie plate. Cut three 1-inch steam vents into top of dough. Bake until filling is bubbling and crust is browned, about 25 minutes, rotating pie plate halfway through baking. 

Let cool slightly and serve!

I paired this with a delicious Three Bean Salad. The tang of the vinaigrette from the salad was perfect with the spice of this pie. 

Variation

Cowgirl Pie

Substitute 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (or your own precooked chicken - leftovers!) for the roast beef, 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed, for the black beans, and 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth for the beef broth. 

:: enjoy ::