Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tight-Arse Tuesdays - Make your own Protein bars


This is by no stretch of the imagination the cheapest thing to do, but it is also without a doubt cheaper than buying protein bars. In my area, the foul tasting things are $4 a piece! My husband and I are both body-builders and heavy into fitness, so these things, used as a quick protein hit to continue weight loss*, can be very expensive on our pocket book. Protein powder, while not cheap, is still significantly cheaper; most recipes needing a mere 3 scoops per 8 bars. I'd say, on average, the bars do not cost me more than fifty cents each. A savings of 88%... I think I can live with that.

Now I'd also like to mention here that legumes are one of the WORST sources of protein if you're building. "But everything has peanut butter!" Yeah, and everything has chocolate too. Ain't that damn healthy. So these bars will provide a larger protein hit, cost less and probably taste better. Guaranteed, actually. If these bars do not taste better, I will give you your money back.

Basic NutButter Oatmeal Protein Bars

2 cups dry oatmeal, dry toasted on a naked pan until tasty but not burnt
3 scoops protein powder
1/2c hazlenut butter, macadamia butter, or another nut butter. I use cashew.
1/3c whole fat milk

I use whole fat milk because 1. it tastes better and 2. fat is good for you. While you're shovelling protein in your face, it's good to make sure that face is clear and rosy, right?

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and press down using wax paper into a brownie tray. Freeze for forty minutes. Cut into bars, wrap in alfoil and refridgerate until headed out that day.

Apple Pie Protein Bar - Soft

Ingredients

6 tablespoons vanilla protein powder
2 tsps baking powder
4 teaspoons Splenda
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup chopped apple -- (chopped into tiny pieces)
1 Tbl vanilla extract
2 teaspoon maple syrup
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 160/320
Mix together dry ingredients.
In separate bowl mix together eggs, oil, and extracts. Beat well & then add to dry ingredients, mixing well.
Add water and apple. Should be a wet consistency like a cake mix.
Pour into well-greased bread pan.
Cook for 15-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. May take longer to cook, depending on consistency of protein powder used. (Mine took 35 minutes, so this is incredibly variable).

Should be a soft cakey bar that tastes similar to an apple cake or pie. Not as firm as most bars, but a good little protein grab.


*Protein, when ingested frequently, burns more calories than going hungry. All foods do this, but protein more so. If you're planning on dieting, a constant supply of protein is very beneficial. As with all diets, don't overdo it.

2 comments:

  1. Okay, I sooo need to do this .... At least I'm getting in the habit of eating every 3-4 hours (it's a start)... and since I'm active + sometimes not close to home (and do not want to spend $$ on take out)... having these will be helpful.


    Question-- Apple Pie P. Bar: "Beat Well" is that by hand or with a beater? Since I am not a cook naturally I have an under "tooled" kitchen... so I would only be able to do so by hand as such. Is that enough?

    Also, if you do not have a bread pan, any other suggestions ?

    And how long do these bars last? What if I freeze them - will they last longer?

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  2. Beat well.. eh.. I just meant combine. Don't know why i said that.. just make sure there's no protein powder chunks and you're fine.

    Use a brownie pan, but then double the recipe. I said bread pan because the size of the bottom was enough to make the recipe work with the measurements. The original recipe was even HALF that... it said 1/16 cup LOL... a tablespoon, you mean? Didn't fit a quarter of a brownie pan. I had to fix it.

    And yes you can freeze them and if you eat one a day, they'll last til they're gone at least.

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