granola bar – Angie Runs

“Disclaimer: I received Everlast Vegan Protein Powder to review as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!”

I am not a chef, however I like to pretend. When it comes to cooking, I rarely measure anything and recipes are a mere suggestion. Well unless it’s baking, I still follow the rules, cuz I have yet to figure out all the magic in baking soda.

I was given 4 samples of the vanilla Everlast Vegan protein powder, besides from the usual protein smoothie I went in search of a granola bar that I could incorporate with the powder, as this is something I can enjoy for a longer period of time.

I turned to Pinterest and found this at http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2014/08/11/protein-granola-bars/

1 1/2 cups quick oats or rolled oats (120g)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup peanut butter or cashew butter (Nut-Free Version: use Sunbutter) (120g)
1/2 cup agave or honey (Use agave if serving to vegans, as honey is technically not vegan) (120g)
2/3 cup protein powder of choice – have fun with different flavors! (70g)
handful mini chocolate chips, optional

Stir all ingredients together until well-mixed. Transfer the mixture to a 9×14 pan lined with parchment or wax paper. (For thicker bars than the ones shown, you can use an 8×8 pan.) Place another sheet of parchment or wax over the top and continue to smush down and spread until it fills the bottom of the pan. Freeze until hard, then cut into bars. For optimum freshness, store leftover bars in the freezer for up to a month.

Of course I had almost all ingredients in the pantry. This is how it went:

I grabbed the honey and measured it out.
Discovered I had no chocolate chips, so thought I would use my chocolate peanut butter, but PB is hard to scoop to a measuring cup then into the mixing bowl, I just scooped the PB into the honey.
I stirred them together.
Added the package of Everlast Vegan Vanilla Protein Powder, it took a while, but it all mixed up
Then I added a cup or so of oats, wanted to make sure the mix was blending well
Then I threw in some craisins, cuz they added some color
Then I found some peanut butter chips, I tossed a handful or so into the mix
I could clearly see it needed more oats, so I just dumped in some more until it looked good.
I finished with pushing them into a lined 8×8 pan, and stuck them in the freezer

When I remembered they were still in the freezer, I took them out, let them sit a minute and cut them up. They wouldn’t all fit in the plastic storage bag, so the hubs and I got our first taste.

THESE ARE DELISH!!! I find some protein bars taste like mush all pressed together. These actually taste good and have more of a granola bar texture. I also know what ingredients are in them. Plus they can keep for a while to enjoy over time.

This recipe is sooooo easy! Who has time for something that takes an hour, especially when you have all the miles to run?