Protein bars are really nice to have on the go. You can pack them in a purse, put them in your pocket, or a backpack. These nutritious snack help to prevent getting hangry by stabilizing your blood sugar. By making them yourself, you can add whatever ingredients you want and avoid the foods you can't eat. Here is a favorite of mine:
Raw Vegan Date Protein Bars
Dr. Lexi
Modified from the Minimalist Baker
Ingredients
1 cup packed pitted dates
1/4 cup 100% maple syrup
1/4 cup sunflower butter
1/4 cup raw unsalted whole almonds
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup of dried bananas, broken into smaller pieces. I use a mortal and pastel.
1/4 cup a mix of chia and flax seeds.
Instructions
Turn your oven on to 350 F. Place oats and almonds onto a baking sheet and then put them into the oven for about 9 minutes or until you can smell them. Process the dates in a food processor until only small bits remain and it's like a dough consistency. *If you want to make date balls, this would be what you do.
Warm the maple syrup and sunflower butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and then pour into a large mixing bowl along with the dates. You will need to break up the dates so that all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Sometimes the dates clump up into a ball and can be quite hard to mix in.
With the Oats and Almonds now cool, chop up the almonds into bits and add them to the mixing bowl along with the oats, almonds, dried bananas, and chia/flax seeds.
Transfer onto an 8X8 Baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press down firmly with a rolling pin so that the mixture will be evenly dispersed in the pan. It might be a bit sticky but that's ok. Cover with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.
Pull the pan out of the freezer, remove the top parchment paper, and take a pizza cutter and slice into protein bar sizes and shapes of your choosing. Then place parchment paper in containers, place your individual bars in there, and store in the freezer. When you are ready to eat one, simply grab, and enjoy.
You can also wrap them in foil for a snack later in the day.
We have truly enjoyed these protein bars and always have them for emergencies when you don't have time to eat or you need a snack on a hike. We recommend doubling the ingredients to make even more as they don't last long in our freezer!
Dr. Lexi