Hola, ladies and gents! It's sure been a while. I've been experimenting with my diet quite a bit lately. My goal is to gain muscle mass while maintaining a low wheat, high protein diet, while still being mostly plant-based in my food selection (though, I can't deny a good goulash or tri-tip sandwich when I see one! Hey, I'm a German-blooded Californian... what can I say?) Another thing I've been focused on is decreasing my sugar intake, exponentially. Yes, "exponentially..." It's that bad! I've actually been pretty successful, seeing as I haven't had refined sugar in weeks! Stevia has become my best friend. I've been making lots of brownies, cookies, and bars all with this magical powder. Besides that, I've been eating Quest bars, which I highly recommend you all checking out if you like your sweets, like I do. Thank you to my friend, and fellow nutrition student, Brian who introduced me to them. They come in flavors from chocolate chip cookie dough to, my favorite, chocolate peanut butter (which also just happens to be made from NATURAL ingredients)!
Unfortunatelyyyy, my college student budget has put a halt on my Quest bar consumption. They are a bit pricey, at around $2.50 a bar. So, I did what I know best and I made my own recipe for protein bars (and added my plethora of superfoods, of course!)
Cacaonut Superfood Protein Bars
2-4 scoops chocolate protein powder (use a natural brand; I like Diesel)
1 TBSP raw cacao powder
1 1/2 tsp bee pollen
1 1/2 tsp maca root powder
3 TBSP psyllium husk
3 TBSP ground flaxseed
3 TBSP peanut butter (use one where peanuts is the only ingredient)
3 TBSP crunchy almond butter
1-2 TBSP coconut oil, room temperature
almond milk
Add dry ingredients to a bowl, and mix. Add wet ingredients. Mix using a rubber spatula until mixture reaches a crumbly consistency. Add as much almond milk as needed to keep the mixture together. It should form a ball without falling apart into small pieces. Press the mixture into a small baking dish. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into 10 squares. It may be helpful to line the dish with parchment paper, in order to prevent sticking.
Each bar has 170 calories, 7 grams of protein, 12 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of fiber, and 1.4 grams of sugar. The fat content is on the high side; however, it could be decreased by adding more almond milk versus coconut oil and/or the nut butters. Don't be afraid to play around with it a bit!
Curious about the superfoods? Here's the rundown...
Cacao: Contains awesome amounts of antioxidants, high amounts of vitamins and minerals (e.g., magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron, the list goes on). Healthy monounsaturated fats. One cacao bean is 11% protein!
Bee Pollen: Contains all 22 amino acids (is a complete protein). It actually contains more protein than any other protein source (including all meats, eggs, etc.) when compared in equal weight. Used to increase energy. High in B-complex and folic acid. According to researchers at the Institute of Apiculture, Taranov, Russia, "Honeybee pollen is the richest source of vitamins found in Nature in a single food. Even if bee pollen had none of its other vital ingredients, its content of rutin alone would justify taking at least a teaspoon daily, if for no other reason than strengthening the capillaries. Pollen is extremely rich in rutin and may have the highest content of any source, plus it provides a high content of the nucleics RNA [ribonucleic acid] and DNA [deoxyribonucleic acid]."
Maca Root: Great source of B-12 and other B vitamins. High in vitamins and minerals. Grows where nothing else grows high in the mountains of Peru (not a lot of oxygen, among other things)--think for a moment what a strong plant this is, and imagine what it must contain in order to be able to do this. Think about how that transfers to your body. Adaptogen. It brings the body into balance, if anything is out of whack. It is known for helping balance hormones (helps with PMS, thyroid issues, etc.) Libido enhancer. It is advised to use maca root in small amounts.
Psyllium Husk: Need fiber? Psyllium husk is your man--'er, seed... It is often used as an appetite suppressant, because of it's fibrousness (100 grams of it will yield 71 grams of soluble fiber)!
This morning I crumbled one of the bars and added it to my oatmeal with some cinnamon, raisins, stevia, and cacao nibs for an extra crunch!
Nom.
Enjoy!
XOXO,
Kristina
