TRY IT TUESDAY: NO BAKE PROTEIN BARS

Anyone who knows me knows that I am addicted to food.  I am addicted to cooking it, eating it, smelling it and looking at it.  Thankfully my long distance runner lifestyle is conducive to my love of food.  As I think about my food habits I tend to go through waves of eating the same thing over and over, setting it aside for something new, going through another wave, etc. etc. Is this true for anyone else?

Thinking about the foods that are "trending" right now in my house, there are jars of vanilla almond butter, chicken breasts, steel cut oats, apples (trying to get my fix before they go out of season), frozen dark cherries, spinach, pistachios and Greek yogurt.  What else do you have to the list?

After running,working out at Energy or for a quick pick me up, I have noticed myself craving these no bake almond bars.  I love them because they are fast, and require no high maintenance attention.  When I am starving I never have patience to wait.  I want things to eat RIGHT AWAY. When I make these bars I tend to add more almond butter and honey than the recipe calls for.  Sometimes I even sneak in unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolate fix, or some cinnamon for a spicy warmth you can't get from anything else.  If the mixture ends up being too dry which I have found can happen sometimes, I add a bit of water or almond milk for moisture.

NO BAKE PROTEIN BARS (adapted from OH SHE GLOWS)

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups( gluten-free) rolled oats, blended into a flour
• 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder (I use Jay Robb)
• 1/2 cup rice crisp cereal
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter (My preference is Justin's Vanilla Almond Butter)
  
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or liquid sweetener of choice--I have ventured toward honey instead)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons mini dark chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life)

Directions:

1. Line an 8-inch square pan with a piece of parchment paper. Mix the oat flour, protein powder, rice crisp, and salt together in a large bowl.
2. Add in the nut/seed butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Stir well to combine. If the mixture is a bit dry, add a splash of non-dairy milk and mix again.
3. Press into pan and roll out with a pastry roller until smooth. Pop into the freezer.
4. Melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil together in a small pot over low heat. When half of the chips have melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth.
5. After freezing the bars for about 5-10 minutes, remove from freezer and slice into bars. Drizzle with melted chocolate and freeze again until set. Store in the freezer for a week or longer in an air-tight freezer bag or container.

Author: Joanna Etshokin
Photo Source: Oh She Glows