Easy homemade clean protein bars

CONTEST DETAILS AT THE BOTTOM!

Save money by making your own easy homemade clean protein bars! GORP (one of my favourite Canadian companies) make this process even easier by providing only the best ingredients, bagging them up and as long as you have peanut butter and honey in your house you will have what you need to make these “Do it yourself” GORP bars.

Now that we’re covering homemade protein bars, which typical “pre-made snack” would you like to see homemade next? Let me know and you’ll be entered to win a 1 month supply of GORP Energy Bar Ready Mix! (Open to Canadian residents – more info at the end of the post.) 

For these easy homemade clean protein bars, I followed the instructions and added peanut butter. However, we didn’t have any honey and I wasn’t about to let that stop me! Combining apple sauce, molasses and maple syrup I was able to make a sweet substitute liquid to bind the mix together. Sprinkled with some shredded coconut before baking, these made the perfect snack or post-workout fuel. For other post-workout snack options check out my pre and post workout article here.

Need a vegan option? I have included an option for in the recipe notes below.

My trick for making this dish as quickly and easily as possible is to use the Energy Bar Ready Mix that GORP have bagged up. Their ready mix is loaded with whole ingredients like oats, nuts, seeds, hemp, berries, apples and more! These clean protein bars set quickly (no baking required, I know right?) and they can be kept in the fridge or freezer for when you need to grab n’ go. Check out the recipe notes for freezing instructions.

EASY HOMEMADE CLEAN PROTEIN BARS

INGREDIENTS

1 bag GORP Energy Bar Ready Mix

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup apple sauce

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp shredded coconut (optional)

METHOD

1. Dump entire bag of Ready Mix into a big bowl.

2. Heat the wet ingredients in a pot on the stove until it it is easy to pour.

3. Pour liquids into energy bar mix and stir with wooden spoon until well blended.

4. Pour contents of bowl onto a 11" x 17" baking sheet with sides + roll, roll, roll with a rolling pin!

5. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top of mixture.

6. Cool in refrigerator for about 20 minutes and cut into 2" x 3.5" bars.

7. Put bars back in the resealable bag and store in the refrigerator! 

PROTEIN BAR RECIPE NOTES:

FREEZING: After chilling and cutting bars, transfer to freezer bag or Tupperware. Will keep for 6 months.

Vegan Recipe

• 1 Cup Brown Rice Syrup

• 1/2 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup (or blended dates)

• 2 Tbsp Molasses (for Cocoa / Ginger only)

WHY CLEAN PROTEIN BARS?

If losing weight and toning your muscles is important, I would recommend you have some protein snacks on hand. Not only will these help with your hunger levels (great addition between meals) but protein is crucial for building muscle (not the scary bulky type of muscle don’t worry) and making sure the hard work you put in during your workouts is going to pay off.

As an online personal trainer, I make sure all my clients know exactly how much protein they should be eating each day because this is one of the most frequently asked questions I receive.

I get asked the questions so much by you that I even developed an entire FREE protein e-book for you. Download your copy.

These homemade clean protein bars are cheaper than store bought and take minutes to whip up!

These days, protein bars are everywhere. You do not need to go to a health food store or supplement store to get your fix. Every day mainstream grocery stores, supermarkets, and all gas stations will generally carry a range of protein bars.

That is all fine and dandy, until you check out the price tag.

Most package protein bars range between $3 - $6 per bar. This adds up over time! Convenient? Sure. Cost-effective? Not really.

This isn’t even mentioning the fact that if you read the ingredients list, you will often find a lot of similarities to a candy bar.

These clean protein bars take just a few minutes to whip up and you don’t need any ingredients that would be out of the normal.

WOMEN AND PROTEIN

I wrote an article all about how increasing your protein can increase your performance but one of the most important things to understand is why as women we need protein. Our bodies need protein to function optimally, benefit from the workouts we are doing and so that your recovery (and muscle tissue) can repair. Don’t worry ladies, we are not genetically made to become "bulky" so the fear of this happening should be removed from your thoughts right now. I know it is there but I promise you if you strength train correctly and eat a balanced high protein diet you will burn fat and develop that nice toned look most of us are after.

Did you love this recipe? What are your favorite keto snacks? Share with us on twitter @dunnebells or Instagram @dunnebells_

P.S - dunnebells10 is good for 10% off bars and mixes. Shop GORP.