Protein Protein Protein
How are you getting your protein? That is often a question for those who work out.
There can be many sources. The most common one is probably whey protein. There is also soy isolate, pea, brown rice, hemp, and the list goes on. They all have their benefits and drawbacks depending on your own body.
From recently doing a round of Whole30, I have been very conscious of what I’m consuming (see my Whole Lotta Whole30 post for more info). And during the Whole30 round, I eliminated dairy products so that excluded whey. I also excluded grains and legumes so that left out pea and brown rice protein, a common vegan alternative. And I’ve had hemp protein before and let’s just say I would rather eat dirt.
So I was on a search to find a clean protein to replace my post-workout whey shake. Enter in RX Bars. These are so delicious and the dark chocolate sea salt are Whole30 compliant. Score! I was buying them hand over fist, finding deals on line, cutting coupons but they still were kinda pricey, $2.99 individually at the grocery store, down to about $2.00 if you bought a box at Target.
Next thought was to make them myself. More work but I would make that up in savings, right? My search led me to the following recipe that calculated the cost per bar to be $1.79. Not bad!
If you’re a chocolate fan, you’ll love these. If you like something fruitier, I modified the recipe to make a banana bread-inspired bar (recipe below). These turned out delicious. I had to limit myself on these to fight that sugar dragon as they were SO good.
It takes some time to buy the ingredients and make them. But you’re worth it, right? Enjoy!
Yields 9
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup egg white protein powder
- 1 banana
- 2 cups dates
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2-4 tbsp water
- 1/2 tsp large grain sea salt
Instructions
- Line a 9-inch square pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the almonds and cashews and pulse until chopped up.
- Add in the egg white powder, banana, dates, and cinnamon. Process until combined.
- Add in water a tablespoon at a time and process until mixture blends together like cookie dough. It should be moist enough to stick together, but not too wet where it's overly sticky. This may take a minute to fully come together, just keep processing until it does.
- Press evenly into prepared pan, sprinkle with large grain salt and refrigerate for one hour or 1/2 hour in the freezer. They can be at room temperature but will soften.
Notes
Add in cacao nibs for some chocolatey-ness.
Adapted from a recipe by Fit Mitten Kitchen.