I made some protein post–workout ‘paleo bars’ Monday night that are pretty awesome. I mimicked Larabars and added protein.
Pureed:
- dates*
- pumpkin
- pineapple
- almond milk**
Mixed in:
- coconut
- pumpkin seeds
- walnuts
- almonds
- cashews
- protein powder (chocolate whey)
Amounts are relative – I didn’t measure anything – all of it is to taste. You want to make them really thick so they stay together. Spread onto a nonstick baking sheet (or glass baking dish lined with wax paper) and bake in the oven on 350 for 15-20 minutes. Store in the fridge (not mandatory).
*can sub dates with figs- might be easier to puree. Chop the dates before you try to blend them (lesson learned the hard way).
** can also use coconut milk for almond milk.
*** Larabars use coconut oil.
**** Other possible ingredients: carrots (think carrot cake), ginger, cherries, apricots, almond meal, almond butter, cacao nibs, baked apples, peaches, any sort of nut, lemon, and cinnamon….
These are called “post workout” bars because they contain a somewhat higher amount of carbs than we would normally want to snack on. Restricting higher GI carbs to post workout (30 min) allows us to take advantage of the time where we can absorb carbs without a large insulin release.