Blueberry Muffin Energy Bars

Hey it's Thursday! How's everyone doing? I'm great but I would be doing a whole lot better if Spring would hurry up and get here already. This winter has been pretty rough. So much dryness in the air and cold temperatures. That breif warm up last week was such a tease!

That's why I whipped up some tasty treats to share with you guys this week.

Granola bars and healthy fruit and nut bars are one of my favourite things to make. I certainly have a soft spot for them.

I'm should start by mentioning that these bars turn out to be a fail the first time I made them. Ugh! Not a great way to start the week. My dates were a bit dry so I added some water to the mix. Only I added a little too much and the whole thing became a giant mess of date paste instead of a nice dough that I could form into bars. I never would have thought it would be so easy to mess up no-bake fruit and nut bars, but I somehow managed to do it. Ha! Back to the drawing board I went and came out with these beauties.

It's a great idea to make these and keep them wrapped individually in the freezer. They don't freeze and this keeps them nice and fresh.

These no-bake bars are easy enough to make and can be thrown together in minutes. One of these would be a perfect snack before a workout. Or if you tend to be one of those people who skip breakfast or grab a muffin and a coffee at the drive-thru then you've gotta try these bars instead. They're loaded with super foods like walnuts, hemp seeds, and blueberries, and the only sugar in them comes from the dried fruit. Plus they taste like a blueberry muffin.

Blueberry Muffin Energy Bars no-bake, gluten-free, grain-free, vegan | Yields 6 bars

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup soft pitted dates
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp raw hemp seeds (I used north coast naturals)
• 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder (I used vega sport)
• 1/4 cup dried blueberries

Instructions:

1. Place walnuts and hemp seeds in your food processor and process until finely chopped (like breadcrumbs). Pour the nut + hemp seed mixture into a bowl and set aside.
2. Place the pitted dates in your food processor and process into small sticky pieces. The mix will be clumpy.
3. Add the nut + hemp seed mixture back into the food processor along with the protein powder and dried bluberries. Process until evenly combined  and the mixture holds together.
4. To shape into bars: turn mixture out onto a long sheet of plastic wrap, then fold the wrap over the dough to cover it.
5. Flatten with your hands and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to desired thickness. Cut into bars.
6. Keep in a sealed contained, or individually wrap and store in the refrigerator or freezer. These bars can be eaten straight from the freezer as they will not freeze.

Nutrition Information:

Serving Size: 1 bar Calories: 248 Fat: 12g Fiber: 4g Protein: 8g Sodium: 7mg Carbohydrates: 28g Sugar: 16g

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars

So I'm really quite excited! I recently teamed up with the Canadian company North Coast Naturals to develop some tasty new recipes using their products. I've been working very hard testing out my first recipe for these energy bars and I just couldn't wait to finally share them with you!

For my first recipe trial I wanted to make an energy+protein bar that I could feel good about eating and would help fuel me through my workouts.

Enter the No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bar.

I used North Coast Natural's vanilla 100% Iso-Protein Powder to give them a good hit of protein and nutrition. I love that this protein powder is all natural and has no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colours or flavours. It's naturally sweetend with low-glycemic stevia and blends well in smoothies - no chalky taste at all. It really does taste great! Trust me, I wouldn't candy-coat the truth. I love how it tasted in these bars too. Next time I'm thinking of trying the chocolate Iso-Protein in these bars. Chocolate and peanut butter were made to go together!

Now there's 2 kinds of protein/energy bars that I like. First there's the cakey kind. And then secondly, there's the chewy kind. These are a bit of a mix between the two. They're soft and chewy, but still have some crumbliness going on. Perfection in bar form if I do say so myself.

I've been trying these as pre-workout snacks before going to the gym to lift weights. They're satiating and have just the right amount of carbs and protein. The best part is you know exactly what went into them. You get about 300 calories, 15 grams of protein, and 28 grams of clean carbohydrates. Plus they're delicious! They also make a perfect on-the-run to-go breakfast.

Happy lifting, friends!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Energy Bars Gluten Free, Vegetarian, Vegan option | Yields 12 bars

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Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter
• 1/2 cup maple syrup, or agave, coconut nectar, honey
• 2 tbsp coconut butter
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used North Coast Naturals Vanilla Iso-Protein)
• 1/2 cup raisins, or other dried fruit
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds

Instructions:

1. Place oats, protein powder, raisins, pepitas and slivered almonds in a large bowl; mix to combine.
2. Warm peanut butter and maple syrup in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring, until smooth. Pour over oat mixture and mix well to combine.
3. Press into an 8x8-inch-square pan lined with parchment paper so the bars will lift out easily. Press the mixture down until evenly flattended. Let cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour to harden.
4. Cut into 12 bars. Keep refrigerated.

Notes:

• North Coast Naturals Iso-Protein is not vegan.
• To make this nut-free try using sunflower seed butter or tahini and replace the slivered almonds with extra toasted pepitas.

Nutritional Information:

Serving Size: 1 bar Calories: 337 Fat: 19g Saturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 14mg Carbohydrates: 28g Sugar: 14g Fiber: 5g Protein: 15g