This month’s Recipe ReDux has forced me to FINALLY stop my laziness and make my own bars! Yes! It happened. It wasn’t as fulfilling as I thought, but it definitely didn’t take long and was so super easy. Plus it resulted in a delicious snack so there is no complaining there. I’m just happy I can cross it off my recipe bucket list. I’ve crossed off a lot of recipes from that bucket list this summer. It’s great, but it also makes room for many many more things and ideas. That bucket list will never be finished! (But I don’t mind that at all!)
August’s Theme: Bars & Bites For Brown Bags – Whether you pack your lunch in a bento box, a brown bag or a retro cartoon character lunch box, don’t forget the bars and bites. Small squares or round bites can pack nutrition into a sweet or savory taste. Show us your favorite way to jazz up any type of lunch box.
Here they are, Raw Coffee Quinoa Protein Bars! No baking, just freezing! Like any totally new to me creation, I started out by crossing my fingers and throwing in a bunch of ingredients, hoping things would turn out the way I wanted. You see bar and bite recipes flooding Pinterest and blogs now-a-days so it must not be that hard to figure out. You just need the base ingredients like a grain, something to hold them together, and some flavor. Plus protein it you want to go that route.
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I also opted to just make a small batch. Well, I didn’t really plan on it being small or large. I had no idea how many it would make since I just threw things in a bowl. It came out to be 4 perfectly sized bars. The recipe can easily be doubled, tripled, you name it! I guess it can also be halved too if that’s you thing.
So what’s in these bad boys? Let’s see, we have quinoa flakes, brown rice cereal, chia seeds, coffee, coffee extract, coffee protein powder, apple sauce, just good old clean ingredients. None of those nasty processed fillers you find in the mainstream bar industry. Some of those things are just plain scary. Like Quest Bars…I mean why would you consume “Protein Blend (Whey Protein Isolate, Milk Protein Isolate), Isomalto-Oligosaccharides* (Prebiotic Fiber), Water, Almonds, Cocoa Butter, Erythritol. Contains less than 2% of the following: Cocoa Powder, Natural Flavors, Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Sunflower Lecithin, Dextrin, Baking Soda, Steviol Glycosides (Stevia), Sucralose.” Yea, that is the ingredient list to the Cookies & Cream Bar. Those first few ingredients are gross.
Why sacrifice your body to that, when you can make your own! (Or just buy a better bar. There are ones out there that fit the bill, you just got to look!) But enough Quest Bar bashing, we have cleaner bars to talk about today!
Raw Coffee Quinoa Protein Bars
Ingredients: (4 bars)
+ 1/2 Cup Quinoa Flakes
+ 1 Cup Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (No-Salt Added)
+ 2 TB Chia Seeds
+ 1 Tsp Ground Coffee
+ 1/4 Tsp Coffee Extract
+ 1 Scoop Nuzest Cappuccino Protein Powder
+ 1/2 Cup Apple Sauce (No Sugar Added)
Directions:
+ In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir to combine.
+ In a 8×8 baking pan, press the mixture into about 2/3 of the pan as pictured above. Smooth and flatten out the top by pressing the bars down.
+ Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place int he freezer for at least 4 hours. Then remove and cut into 4 bars. To save for later, wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. Remove and let thaw a bit before eating.
You know what’s really good? Microwaving these bars for about 45 second on high and eating with a fork! So good! It is like a warm piece of coffee flavored cake! I really recommend eating these warm, not directly out of the freezer. You can even store them in the fridge if you are using them quickly.
So there you have it. Experiment bar done! Healthy, allergy-free, and delicious! Another successful Recipe ReDux in the books! Check out the other member’s recipes below and see what from bar and bite creations they are whipping up!
So tell me:
+ Favorite snack or protein bar?
+ What’s your go-to lunch box snack addition?
+ Fantasy bar flavor? If you make you own, you can make it anything! But I chose coffee, because, well, why not!?
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These look immense! Wow! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays. Hope to see you tomorrow!
Haha, thanks!
Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 I can’t wait to see what you share this week!
Cindy
Thanks Cindy.
Saw this on the list at Pinterest Foodie and just had to see for myself. Love the idea of the coffee – a real wake-up as well as fill-you-up 🙂
Haha, yup! A perfect quick on the go breakfast! Coffee and fuel all in one!
These look great – loving all your ideas for protein snacks lately. Your blog theme is looking fab too. Thanks so much for linking up with #recipeoftheweek. Sorry I was slow getting over for this one. I’ve pinned it to my food board and a tweet will go out shortly 🙂
Haha, thank you so much Emily! XOXO
I seriously need to stop buying my protein bars, especially when I can make my own. These sound great! They would make a perfect pre or post-workout snack.
Thanks for contributing another awesome recipe to Healthy Vegan Fridays =) I have pinned this to our Pinterest board.
Sometimes buying though is just so much easier 😛 I only make them now on special occasions! I am still to lazy!
Can’t wait to try these!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Awesome, thanks!
OK usually I make bars for my kids…but THESE will be for me!
Haha, bars are for everyone! Especially when they involve that jolt of coffee 😉
Coffee sounds so good in these bars!
It tastes good too 😉
I love your addition of coffee. These bars would be a perfect way to start my day. I travel for my job, so they would be great to travel with. Your recipe sounds delicious! Take care, Terra
The perfect jump starting healthy on the go breakfast! Haha! Thank you Terra! XOXO
I do have to say though that I disagree with you on the Quest bars 🙁 I think they are delicious, and if you stick to the natural line, I don’t see what’s wrong with ingredients like stevia, nuts, fiber, and a protein blend with things like whey in it..
I’ll always be a quest bar hater 😛 But it’s not like I can eat them anyway! Haha! 😉
Hello delicious! Coffee and quinoa together in a protein bar? I’m all about that combo!
xoxo Sarah Grace, Fresh Fit N Healthy.
Haha, yes! So perfect right?
Love those ingredients, and I actually have all of them. I need to try these 🙂 I totally get you on the Quest bars! I don’t understand why so many bloggers are so ga-ga over them. The ingredient list is horrible! I’ve never actually eaten one though. I am sure you’re recipe is much better.
Does the brown rice cereal stay crunchy with the applesauce?
Yea! Their gross!
No it turns more to like a cakey texture! But its so good 😉
i love the coffee grounds in here! briliiant!
Coffee is always brilliant 😉
YUM! What a good idea to include coffee !!
Right!? Just an extra boost!
These look tasty and good as a pick me up 🙂
You bet they are!
yummm! But, are they all crumbly??
Nope! They stick perfectly and are like cake if you microwave them 😉
Oh it’s so good to know the texture after you microwave them! They look so good! Thanks Rebecca!
🙂 Thanks Ana!
This would SO feed my coffee addiction! And cappuccino protein powder?! How did I not know about this?!
Haha! I know I was so excited when I found out about this protein too! It is crazy awesome!
Hi! New to your blog and have been catching up.
These look amazing — will be good for you for school?
My fantasies always involve Peanut Butter and Jelly.
Totally good for school!
PBJ! That’s an easy flavor to make!
Thanks for stopping by 🙂 XOXO
Oooh… fantasy bar flavor. That’s a hard one. Maybe like banana split or mint chocolate chip or something?? I’m not sure!!
Mint chocolate banana split 😉
Anything flavored with coffee has to be delicious!
I know, right!? 😉
Hi Rebecca – I have only made my own bars a couple of times. I really need to try it again. Pinning and sharing.
Mmmm… pinned! Love the idea of raw energy. I must make these for school.
Thanks Nikki 😉
I am always looking for that perfect healthy snack that tastes great and is good for you too. These look like they might just fit the bill. Pinning these to make for later. I need to run to the store and get the quinoa flakes. Never tried them before. A new adventure! Thanks for sharing.
Blessings,
Shari
You’ll love quinoa flakes! They are so versatile 🙂
Thanks Shari!
Hmmm…I wonder if I could do a tea version of this. They look yummy but I’m not a coffee person. 🙂
Matcha tea could work 😉
Coffee + Quinoa?? Yes, please!!!
You got that right 😉
YUM!! I must try this protein!!
Yes! Coffee protein is just awesome!
My favorite bar is now the recipe I created for this month’s theme! I’ve never seen a cappuccino protein powder. Off to check out the link.
It is great! A little coffee burst while getting your protein fuel!