Clean-Eating Power Protein Bars

Recipe from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Cookbook

Do not let the long list of ingredients intimidate you! This recipe is super easy and the end result is worth the 30 minute wait! (yes, total prep and bake time is only 30 minutes!)

Ingredients

• 1 C protein (I used Beverly International Ultimate Muscle in Cookies & Creme)
• 1/2 C quinoa flout or flour of your choice – amaranth, millet, spelt, kamut (I used 100% organic spelt)
• 2 C rolled oats (not instant) (but I accidentally used my quick oats instead of my steel cut rolled…and it turned out fine)
• 1/2 C oat bran
• 1/2 C coarsely chopped flax seed (I didnt bother, left the flax seed whole)
• 1/2 C wheat germ
• 1 tsp sea salt (don’t skimp on this – sea salt provides valuable minerals and elements)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 C Sucanat or agave nectar or organic honey
• 1 C dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups yogurt cheese (I cheated, used a blend of light cream cheese and fat free vanilla yogurt)
• 1/4 C avocado oil, canola oil or healthy oil of your choice (I used avocado oil)
• 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp best-quality vanilla
• Eat Clean Cooking Spray (olive oil in a spritz bottle)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Coat a 9×13 inch baking pan with cooking spray
2. In a large mixing bowl combine protein powder, clour, oats, oat bran, flax seed, wheat germ, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and Sucanat or other sweetner.  Stir in broken chocolate pieces.
3. In another bowl mix the yogurt cheese, oils, and vanilla. Mix well. Add the yogurt cheese mixture to the dry ingredients. Use your clean bare hands to combine these well.  Tosca mentions to coat your hands in olive oil to help prevent sticking (I DEF DO THIS)
4. Place mixture in prepared pan.  Press it down and even out the top. Bake on middle rack in oven for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.
5. Let cool and cut the dough into bars.  Place these bars on a cookie sheet lined with Silpat and bake again for another 15 minutes. (If you don’t have a Silpat, don’t sweat it, I used parchment or foil. these did not stick, so it was no big deal).  Then remove from heat.
6. Transfer to wire cooling rack and let cool.  Place in airtight container and store in refrigerator.  (I individually wrapped these in plastic wrap, then put them in a ziploc for the freezer, but they were eaten in 2 days, so never made it to the freezer 🙂 )

 

Nutritional Value Per Serving:
Calories: 290 | Calories from Fat: 73 | Protein: 15g | Carbs 40g
Dietary Fiber: 5g | Sugars: 11g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 80mg

 
Beverly International Ultimate Muscle Protein for 31g:
Dietary Fiber: 1g | Sugars: 1g | Protein: 21g