Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Protein is something I talk to all of my patients about. Most people aren’t getting their necessary amount of protein in a day, and that includes meat eaters. I don’t eat meat and don’t love cooking fish at home, so I have to be on top of my protein intake.

Protein bars are a great option as a quick snack, especially during a busy work day or out in the mountains. However, I would spend long periods of time in grocery aisles reading ingredients and quickly realized that the first ingredient in most bars is sugar. I figured it would be easier to make my own to cut out the unnecessary sugars- and ended up with something more delicious than any of the pre-made ones.

INGREDIENTS

1-1.5 cups creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups rolled oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill GF)
1/2 cup vanilla protein powder ( I like Good Protein)
3 tbsp ground flax
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

Add all dry ingredients to a large bowl. Add peanut butter, maple syrup and coconut oil to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the dry ingredients and stir until everything is combined. Press into a parchment lined 9x9 baking sheet, and freeze until set. Remove from freezer, cut into individual portions, wrap them and store in freezer.

A few notes: if the mixture is too crumbly, melt more peanut butter and coconut oil to add- 1/4 cup PB and 1 tbsp coconut oil. If it tastes too ‘protein powder’-y, add a bit more salt.