Trail Mix Protein Granola Bars

Healthy Granola Bars! These are made with all natural ingredients with added protein! These are great for an on-the-go snack, sweet treat, and great for kids as well! They do have a higher sugar content than my other recipes (from the honey) but it is all natural and is necessary for the consistency. However, they are a GREAT alternative to the store-bought (processed) snack bars 😉

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (my scoop is 1/3 cup)
• 2 tbsp Stevia (or to taste)
• 2 tbsp peanut flour/PB2 (optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp peanut butter extract (optional; found this at Walmart!)
• 1/4 cup all natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 of a small banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Mix-ins (I used):

• 1/8 cup (2 tbsp) chocolate chips
• 1/8 cup raisins

Other alternatives/combinations: cranberries, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, cinnamon, etc.

Mix the first four ingredients (dry) in a large mixing bowl. Add in your extracts, almond milk and mashed banana. Microwave your peanut butter for approx. 10 seconds to make it a bit softer and easier to mix. Add your peanut butter and honey to the bowl and mix, mix, mix thoroughly! Feel free to use your hands 😉 It should become a big sticky mixture. Stir in your mix ins ( raisins, chocolate chips, etc) evenly to the dough.

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spray well with non-stick spray. Using your hands or a spatula, transfer the mixture to the sheet. Spread the dough into a thin even layer.

Bake at 325F for approximately 10 minutes.

At this point, take the bars out and (carefully) cut the dough into 12 equal bars (this will help them become crunchy yet still chewy).

Place the bars back in the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until they are golden brown and baked evenly through.

Let the bars cool for several minutes before fully cutting and separating them.

Nutrition Info (with above ingredients-12 bars):

Each bar:

130 calories-16g carbs, 7.5g protein, 4.5g fat

Keep them in a sealed container or Ziploc in the refrigerator to maintain freshness (there are no preservatives!) Grab and go….and enjoy!

I want to experiment and try using applesauce or even pumpkin instead of banana. Next time I might omit the chocolate chips but add cinnamon; banana, peanut butter, raisins, and cinnamon…mmm!! I will post my outcome when I try it 😉