Friday, October 7, 2011

Pumpkin Protein Bars and My Muscle Building Journey

This week I have been busier than a bee making honey, but so far, I have been able to get to the gym every day; making progress each day. The biggest struggle is making sure I eat enough to provide the necessary energy for building muscle. When I get busy, I have to remind myself to eat. Preparing meals in advance is a huge help in the struggle. This weekend I will be cooking enough see me through at least 4 days of lunches and snacks.

I love the convenience of protein bars, but there are few on the market that I actually eat.
FitKnitchick.com revised a protein bar recipe from Clean Eating.com and I loved it  - so I wanted to share it with you!

PUMPKIN PROTEIN BARS
3 cups large flake oats (not instant)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (no sugar added)
1/2 cup applesauce (no sugar added)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup egg whites
4 scoops protein powder (organic)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 by 8 inch glass pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, protein powder and spices together.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk pumpkin, applesauce, honey and egg whites together until smooth. Pour over the oat mixture and mix well. Stir in almonds.
4. Evenly press mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown.
5. Cool and slice into 12 squares.

Nutritional info (per 1/12th of recipe); Calories, 155; Carbohydrates, 22.3 g; Dietary Fiber, 2.8 g; Sugar, 6.7 g; Total Fat, 2.2 g; Sat. Fat, 0.2 g; Protein, 12.1 g.




Life As I See It [Fitness, Health and Happiness]

4 comments:

Nicole said...

Those bars look yummy! I love homemade bars (althoug I tend to get too sidetracked to make them!)

fancy nancy said...

Oh yum-o!!! Add it to the list!!

Amy said...

This sounds great to make. I will be doing them soon!

Liz @ Southern Charm said...

Love that these are so simple. And with those nutritional stats? I will make some, and stat!