Chocolate Protein Bars

Holy cow. These bars are delicious. And healthy. How often does that happen? I would dare to even call them brownies.  They're that good!

This is another one of Jamie Eason's brilliant recipes -- and I highly recommend trying them. You won't be disappointed! Packed full of protein, low in calories, and you get to eat two bars per serving. Go crazy!

Ingredients:

1 cup Oat Flour (or put 1 cup of quick cooking oats into a Cuisinart and grind to a powder)

4 Egg Whites

2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

½ cup Truvia

½ tsp Baking Soda

¼ tsp Salt

8oz Berry flavored Baby Food (I used two 4 ounce jars of apple and blueberry medley)

3 tbsp Baking Cocoa

4oz Water

Directions:

1.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.       Mix dry ingredients (oat flour, vanilla whey protein, baking soda, salt, baking cocoa) together in a large bowl.

3.       Mix wet ingredients (egg whites, Truvia, berry flavored baby food, water) together in a medium sized bowl.

4.       Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together with a whisk.

5.       Spray cooking dish with a non stick spray and add batter to dish.

6.       Bake 25-30 minutes in oven, or until middle is set.

Makes 16 squares, serving size is 2 bars. 

Per Serving:

Calories:  96

Fat:  1.4 grams

Carbs:  12 grams

Protein: 10 grams

Almond and Orange Salad

Photo Courtesy of Allrecipes.com

When I think of Easter, I think of little white bunnies, orange and turquoise colored eggs and various animal-shaped chocolates. I also think of Spring, sunshine and light, fresh and summery foods. This salad definitely hits the mark.

This salad is sweet, light and has a bit of a tanginess, thanks to the apple cider vinegar. It's also a great recipe to bring to a potluck, as the dressing and sugared almonds can be made ahead of time and everything can just be thrown together on site. I do recommend waiting to dress the salad until pretty close to dinner time, as the moisture in the oranges will make it wilt if it sits too long.

 

 

Ingredients

The Dressing

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons sugar

The Salad

• 2 bags romaine lettuce
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 avocado, peeled and cubed

The Topper

• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

1. Combine the oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, parsley, salt and pepper in a small tupperware container.
2. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, add the other 2 tablespoons of sugar. Leave the sugar in the pan without stirring, until the sugar melts (about 12-14 minutes).  Remove from heat, toss in the almonds and stir quickly to coat. Spread out on a sheet of wax paper. Break apart into small pieces once dry.
3. When ready to serve, grab a big bowl and toss together the lettuce, onions, oranges, and dressing until evenly coated. Top with the sugared almonds.

Carrot Cake Protein Bars

I recently discovered Jamie Eason, an amazing fitness and weightlifting model. She has a bunch of articles on Bodybuilding.com, including a fitness and diet plan. She's seriously ripped. I stumbled upon one of her recipes for Carrot Cake Protein Bars and decided to give them a try. 

I made a few tweaks to this recipe. The original called for oat flour, which I didn't have, and I used an egg beaters product instead of separating 4 eggs. The result was amazing. My husband and I gobbled these bars down. With only 94 calories and 10 grams of protein for 2 bars, these are a healthy and delicious treat. Finally, a sweet snack full of protein! Enjoy!

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat flour
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 12 tbs. liquid egg whites (like Egg beaters 100% Egg Whites)
• 3/4 cup Truvia
• 8 oz baby food carrots
• 4 oz water 

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3. Mix egg white substitute, Truvia, baby food carrots and water in a bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.
5. Spray glass pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.
6. Pour ingredients into dish. 
7. Bake 30 minutes.

Makes 16 squares, 2 squares per serving.

Calories: 94
Fats: 1.25 grams
Carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 10 grams