Easy Homemade Protein Bar Recipes!

For the most part, a huge number of people out there tend to just go ahead and just purchase and buy their protein bars. But a trend that is gaining a lot of attention these days is that you make your own protein bar by putting together your own personal and unique recipes. The market for protein bar in Malaysia is booming at the moment.

Thanks to the growing number of people who are opting for a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. This growth is also aided by the increasing number of people that are hitting the gym in Malaysia these days. Preparing your own personal protein bar is not as complicated as it may initially seem to be. It just takes a little bit of guidance and in no time you will be prepping your own protein bar. Have you ever spent time looking at the ingredients and the nutritional value of your regular protein bars? For the most part and very often than not, you will come across certain things and ingredients that do not make much sense or sound super processed. But at the end of the day we still tend to just go ahead and make that purchase anyway due to sheer convenience. It is very important for you to know and acknowledge what is fueling your body or your workouts.

Because if you are invested in making a change for yourself, be aware of what goes into your body and be more aware as to what your body needs to achieve its maximum growth and improvements. After looking through, I have found certain recipes that will make you think twice and head to the kitchen instead of your grocery stores to make your own recipes until you achieve that one recipe that suits you best. And yes, this method will also help you save money.



COCONUT MATCHA ENERGY BARS
For a short intro to this recipe, matcha is a type of green tea that comes in the form of powder. This is because the entire leaf is used, matcha contains even more beneficial antioxidants and nutrients than the regular green tea. You can read more about the health benefits of matcha which comes in many different forms online. This protein bar recipe takes approximately 40 minutes of preparation time and has the same total time and comes in the serving of 8 bars. With the combination of nuts, seeds, shredded coconut, and matcha green tea powder, these flavorful energy bars are a much healthier alternative to most of the store bought energy bars.

INGREDIENTS: You will need 1 and a quarter cups of dates that are pitted and roughly chopped. Half a cup of almonds. A half cup of cashews. A half cup of hemp seeds. 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean or pure vanilla extract. 1 tablespoon of matcha powder and also some additional for sprinkling. 2 tablespoons of cacao nibs which are unsweetened. And a half cup of unsweetened coconut flakes.

INSTRUCTIONS: Start with combining the dates, almonds, cashews, hemp seeds, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of matcha powder in the food processor and pulse until they are well combined. The mixture should stick together like dough when and after pressed. If the mixture is falling apart, add a few more dates and process them again until they are combined. Add the cacao nibs and pulse just enough until the cacao is dispersed throughout. Line up a small baking dish with parchment paper, so that the bars are easier to remove later and add bars to dish.

Use your hands or the back of a spoon to press the mixture down till it is compact and smooth. Sprinkle some coconut and additional matcha on top and press it down with the back of a spoon. Put the bars in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Remove the bars from the dish by pulling out the parchment paper. Cut it into bars and store them in your fridge for up to 1 week.



PEANUT BUTTER VANILLA PROTEIN BARS
The following recipe is a combination of peanut butter and vanilla and I think that we can all agree the we love either peanut butter or vanilla. And if you like them both, you are in for a treat! This protein bar recipe will take a preparation time of 10 minutes or so, it requires a cooking time of about 1 hour and the total time would be at about 1 hour and 10 minutes. And this recipe serves 8 bars.

INGREDIENTS: You will need half a cup of all natural nut butter (Using peanut butter is recommended. But you can use what you have.) Half a cup of oat flour. Half a cup of honey. 2 full scoops of vanilla protein powder and 2 sheets of wax or parchment paper.

INSTRUCTIONS: You can start odd by adding all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together with a spoon until everything is well combined and a dough forms. You may need to use your hands to make sure it is all well combined. Put the dough on top of your wax or parchment paper and use your hands to flatten it out.

Use a knife and cut out eight bars of your liking. Using your other piece of wax or parchment paper, cut out eight pieces similar to the shape of the bars you earlier cut out. Place each bar on top of a matching paper and place it in a large tupperware. Then place it in your refrigerator for at least an hour.



QUINOA CHIA SEED PROTEIN BARS
For the people out there who are always on the lookout for the most convenient forms of plant-based protein, the one thing that they may struggle with is to find a good tasting combination, all natural protein bars that did not carry all of the unnecessary sweeteners, gluten or dairy found in most of the store bought brands. Many times, people tend to find many of the protein bars on store shelves to be nothing more than glorified candy, but there is a way to pack the same protein punch, without the preservatives, additives and other ingredients that make you feel odd regarding the product itself. This protein bar takes a preparation time of 15 minutes and a cooking time of 16 minutes which add up to a total time of 31 minutes. This also comes along for 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS: Half a cup of dry quinoa. (It is recommended to use white but any variety works as well). Half a cup of chia seeds. (Again, recommended to used black chia seeds, but any type will work). 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds. 1 cup of gluten free rolled oats. A quarter teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and cardamom. Half a cup of raw almonds that are coarsely chopped. A quarter cup of honey. A quarter cup of brown rice syrup. And a half cup of almond butter.

INSTRUCTIONS: Start by preheat the oven to 350F. In a big mixing bowl, combine the quinoa, chia seeds, flax seed, rolled oats, cinnamon, salt, cardamom and chopped raw almonds. Stir them well to combine. In a smaller, microwave-safe dish, combine and mix the raw almond butter, organic brown rice syrup and honey. Stir them well to mix, and then microwave them for 1 minute to soften. Pour the wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and stir with a plastic spatula to thoroughly combine.

The wet ingredients may begin to firm up, in which case you will need to use your clean hands to knead the mix together. Once done, transfer your mixture to a parchment lined baking dish, and pat down the mixture with a plastic spatula to create a single, even layer. Bake on the middle part of the oven for at least 15 minutes. When finished, remove it from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. After ten minutes, remove the bars from the pan by lifting the sides of the parchment paper. Place the bars on a wire rack to complete cooling. Cut the finished bars with a sharp, non-serrated knife or a pizza cutter. Wrap the cooled bars in saran wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

In conclusion, I hope that all these recipes will somewhat help you in obtaining a better choice when it comes to your protein bars. These recipes might seem to be a handful at first but trust me you will get a hang of it in no time. Do yourself a favor, drop those grocery store bought protein bars and head to your kitchen and give these a try! You will surprise yourself and you will definitely not regret it.