What's The Deal With Protein Bars?

One of the more common questions I get asked is "can I have a protein bar instead of a protein shake?" My answer is usually no. Unless you are in a pinch or in an extreme time crunch store bought protein bars are slightly better than eating fast food or other assorted junk food. What's wrong with store bought protein bars? The simple fact is that the majority of protein bars out there are glorified candy bars. They contain high amounts of fructose corn syrup and other forms of sugars,low quality as well as, low amounts of protein and lots of artificial ingredients. This is why they "taste good" but tasting good and being good for you are two very different things. This does not mean that healthy things can not taste good though.
Below are a few recipes for homemade protein bars I got from Dr. John Berardi and Coach Mike Mahler. These bars not only taste great and are easy to make but also way healthier than anything you can buy in a store.

Vanilla Almond Protein Bar

4 scoops whey or rice protein, vanilla

2 T almond butter

2 T ground flax seed

1 and 1/2 cup of water

1 T ground ginger

1 T ground cinnamon

1 T pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon of stevia

Preheat oven to 425. Mix everything in a bowl with a spoon until a thick paste forms. Divide into four parts, roll into balls, then shape into bars. Place on cookie sheets and bake 12-15 minutes.

Nutrition:

calories 540
protein 70 gr
carb ~20 gr
fat ~20 gr

No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bar

2 scoops whey or rice protein, chocolate

2 T natural peanut butter

2 T ground flax seed

1 T ground cinnamon

1/2 cup almond milk

Mix everything in a bowl, stirring with a spoon until a thick paste forms. Divide in two, wrapping each bar in aluminum foil. Place the bars in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, you'll have two delicious bars, ready for breakfast or whenever you want a snack.

Nutrition

calories 365
protein 27 gr
carb 17 gr
fat 21 gr

Chocolate Pecan Bars

3 scoops Sun Warrior or whey protein, chocolate

1 T ground cinnamon

1/4 cup pecans

2 T ground flaxseed

2 T raw almond butter

1 T non-dairy/gluten-free brownie mix

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

Mix everything in a bowl, stirring with a spoon until a thick paste forms. Divide into 6 balls and place in the refrigerator for two hours. Preheat oven to 425. Place the six balls on a cookie sheet, flattening slightly with a fork, and bake for 12-15 minutes. These are delicious. Have three bars as a snack and the other three for dessert later.

There you have it 3 simple and great tasting recipes that are easy to make!
Make up a batch and wrap them in plastic and keep them in the refrigerator. Take them when you are on the go and want to have a good quality source of protein available!