Found this recipe on the web somewhere and it’s pretty dang good just as a base - the magic is in the ‘mix-ins’ - using whatever leftover healthy snack foods you have lying around!
Ingredients:
8 Scoops Chocolate (or whatever flavor you prefer) Whey Protein
2 C Rolled Oats
4 medium Bananas (raw - frozen work nicely, too)
1.2 ox Banana Chips (~handful)
4T Chunky Peanut Butter
1C granulated Splenda/Sucralose (can be left out or use brown rice syrup, etc.)
1t Salt
In a clean, dry blender, process 1 C of the rolled oats into flour (blend on Med for about a minute). Remove, place in large bowl. Chop banana chips in blender for a few seconds with whatever mix-ins you are using (suggestions below). Add all dry ingredients to bowl and stir together.
Slice bananas and process in blender on Med into a puree, add the peanut butter and continue for a few seconds just until mixed (depending on whether you want chunks!). Stir peanut-butter/banana puree into dry ingredients until mixed thoroughly.
Cut (usually yieds between 8-10) squares of aluminum foil and lightly coat each with non-stick baking spray. Spoon out an equal portion of batter (I use a food scale to ensure even distribution for nutritional and equal baking purposes and usually do between 130-150grams/bar) onto each square. Fold foil over burrito style and flatten to create uniform bar shapes.
Bake the bars in their foil wrappers in a pre-heated oven at 350degrees for 16-20 minutes. WARNING - do not overcook! Mine are usually done around 14 minutes but I usually set the timer for 12, then check them and only keep them going in 2 or 3 minute increments until they appear just ‘firm’ or ’set’ throughout.
They freeze really nicely - I just stick them as is in their foil packets in a gallon size freezer bag and pull one out in the morning on my way to the office.
Nutrition as prepared with above ingredients:
8 Servings: Per Serving: 323 Cal, 37g Carb, 28g Protein, 8g Fat, 5g Fiber.
Mix-ins that I add to blender with banana chips: (you could just mix them in, too, if you like a chunkier texture).
Cocoa Powder
Ground Coffee
Any trail mix. Trader Joe’s Nuts about Chocolate, Almonds, and Raspberries is one of my favs.
Any kind of additional nuts or seeds - macadamia, etc.
Gojii Berries, Dried Cranberries, coconut, any dried fruit you like
Whole Wheat Peanut Butter filled pretzels (!) or any pretzels, for that matter
Ground Flax Seed, Wheat Germ, or whatever of these type things you like
I’m sure there’s a few hundred more. My usual batch is cocoa powder, gojii berries, TJs trail mix and maybe some pretzels if I have a few stale left-overs sitting around. These bars are great for the little bits of stuff that’s just a bit round the bend in the stale department.
What else? Post your favorite adds!
