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 ::