Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Like many families we increased our preparedness in 1999 as the new year drew closer.  We expected some disruptions but not the predicted end of society warnings.  Looking back, it was an amazing year of discovery in many aspects of our lifestyle.  At the same time, I discover many shelf stable products that despite seeming over preparing at the time, have become pantry staples.  I learned to make some of them like powdered fruits and vegetables.  However, I still buy and use powdered cheese, milks, honey and peanut butter.

PB2 is a natural powdered peanut butter that became popular with hikers, campers and survivalists.  I use it in applications where I want the rich flavour of peanut butter without the bulk.  In the last couple of months, I have discovered that PB2 is popular with those trying to lose weight because it has 85% less fat calories than traditional peanut butter.  A tablespoon of traditional peanut butterhas about 90 calories, 8 g fat and 3 g protein.  Two tablespoons of PB2 has 45 calories, 1.5 g fat and 5 g of protein.  PB2 can be used as a spread by mixing 2 tbsp of PB2 with 1 tbsp of water.  It can also be used in smoothies, shakes, and baking to boost protein while adding that wonderful peanut flavour everyone loves.  PB2 is also available with premium chocolate added.  It has 45 calories, 1 g fat and 4 g protein making the PB2 with chocolate a real calorie bargain.

My first experiment with no bake protein bars was the chocolate protein bars made with whey protein.  The results were promising so I went on to create a peanut butter protein bar.  I used a pea protein powder (Sequel Naturals Ltd., Vega Sport) to make these bars.  Honestly, I am very impressed with the Vega Sport protein powder.  It is only 130 g per 33 g scoop with 25 g protein, a calorie savings over the two whey protein powders I have.  The peanut butter protein bars are tasty but still have a slight stickiness.  I cut them into smaller bars as well so they could be used as a snack. 

Peanut Butter Protein Bars
recipe by:  Garden Gnome

1 c almond milk
2 scoops (66 g) Vega sport protein powder, vanilla
2 tsp Truvia baking blend
4 tbsp PB2
1½ quick cooking oats
1 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp peanut butter baking chips
1 tsp chia seeds

Place the oats in food processor bowl.  Process until fine, similar to flour.  Add Truvia, PB2 and coconut flour.  Pulse process to blend.   Pour the dry mixture into mixing bowl.  Pour most of the milk in and stir, adding just enough of the remaining milk to get the mixture to stick together.  Mix to form a ball that cleans the side of the bowl.  Place the ball on parchment paper.  Flatten and shape into a rectangular block.  Place parchment paper with the block on a plate.  Cover with plastic wrap.  Let chill to set in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.  Cut into bars of desired size. Place the peanut butter baking chips in a small bowl.  Melt over another bowl of hot water.  Spread over the top of the bars.  Sprinkle the bars with chia seeds.

Yield: 12 bars

Nutritional value per bar: 78 calories, 10 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat, 6 g protein, 63 mg sodium, 2 g fibre

No Bake Chocolate Protein Bars

Protein bars are huge business!  These bars come in at a similar caloric value as a chocolate bar but they are considerably higher in protein.  For example, a Snicker's chocolate bar has 250 calories, 33 g carb and 5 g protein but a Pure Protein chocolate deluxe has only 180 calories, 17 g carb and 21 g protein plus it has Vitamin A that the Snicker's bar doesn't have as well as a higher calcium and iron content.  In short, the Pure Protein bar is a better nutritional value for your food dollar especially since it is only 8¢ more than the Snicker's bar.  The advantage of protein bars aside of their nutritional value is their portability.  Pop one in your purse as a healthy substitute for a chocolate bar.  The downside to protein bars is the long list of ingredients, some of which we try to avoid.  Be sure to read the label if you decide to buy protein bars!

I decided to experiment making my own protein bars.  Homemade protein bars are a practical solution to the ingredient issue.  They are tastier and lower cost.  Trust me, after sampling several brands of mass produced protein bars, taste and texture is not exactly a high priority!  Not only that, homemade protein bars are incredibly simple to make.  Homemade protein bars consist of a base, protein powder, binder and flavour.  They can be baked or no bake.  They are easily modified as desired for you own unique flavour combination.

My first attempt at making protein bars was using whey protein powder.  Whey protein is often used in mass produced protein bars.  Homemade protein bars using whey tend to be sticky even after sitting for a period of time.  I wasn't concerned over this as the bars were intended for after my morning exercise routine.  I had three goals in mind when I started: lower carb, high protein and low calorie so chose the ingredients on that basis.  These bars came in at 98 calories with 12 g carb and 5 g protein, far from ideal or even close to mass produced but it was a start!  The texture was very much like some of the mass produced protein bars so I'll be working on that as well.

I simply mixed the ingredients then formed the no bake chocolate protein bar mixture into a block on a sheet of parchment paper.  It definitely was sticky but workable.  I covered the block with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for an hour to firm up.

Once the block had firmed for an hour, I cut the block into 10 equal sized pieces.  Originally I was going to cut into 5 bars but they would have been too large.   A longer rectangle and cut into 8 slightly larger bars would have worked as well.   They could also be cut into smaller bars suitable for children if desired.

I covered the   cut bars and returned them to the refrigerator to continue setting up overnight.  Some using whey protein powder put their bars into the freezer to set up.  Mine set up well in the refrigerator but they still had a bit of stickiness to them. 

Chocolate is likely the most popular flavour for mass produced protein bars.  Chocolate and peanut butter is a common combination for mass produced protein bars.  I used cocoa and chocolate flavoured protein powder so kept the chocolate topping to a minimum as an accent flavour.  A lot of mass produced protein bars are coated in chocolate similar to a chocolate bar but that really adds to the carb content.  I melted two squares of Lindt 85% cocoa chocolate then simply drizzled over the cut bars using a spoon and slight sideways movement.  Reducing the topping reduced both the calories and carbs of the finished bars.

The warm chocolate drizzle quickly firmed on the cold bars.  I removed them from the parchment paper and placed in a storage container for the refrigerator.  Overall, I am pleased with my first attempt.  I plan to decrease the carbs and increase the protein in the next batch.  I also want to tinker with the texture, making it a bit creamier closer to a nougat texture.  I suspect that the caloric value will increase a bit with the modifications but

Each of the ingredients in my protein bars were chosen for a specific purpose.  With the exception of the Truvia, all of the ingredients added protein.  I used Truvia specifically for the natural sweetness of stevia without the calories of sugar.  I'm still sitting on the fence with stevia so may experiment using honey or molasses instead.  I used organic peanut butter because it does not have salt or sugar added. 

No Bake Chocolate Protein Bars
recipe by:  Garden Gnome

1 (42 g) scoop Pure Protein 100% Whey, Frosty Chocolate
1 tbsp Truvia baking mix
2 squares (20 g) Lindt 85% Cocoa chocolate
1 tbsp organic peanut butter
1 tbsp Fry's cocoa
1 tbsp chopped peanuts
 ½ c almond milk
1 tbsp coconut flour
1½ c rolled oats, quick cooking

Mix all ingredients together except for Lindt chocolate.  Spoon the mixture onto parchment paper.  Form into a rectangular block.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for an hour.  Cut into bars.  Cover and return to refrigerator over night.  Place the chocolate squares in a small bowl.  Place the bowl in anther bowl of very hot water to melt the chocolate without getting water into it.  Carefully drizzle the chocolate over the separated bars.  Place the bars in a storage container.  Store in the refrigerator.

Yield: 10 bars

Nutritional value per bar: 98 calories, 12 g carbohydrates, 4 g fat, 5 g protein, 31 mg sodium, 3 g fibre