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Boost Your Nutrition with Easy & Delicious Homemade Protein Bars!

Boost Your Nutrition_Title

When you want to lose weight and get healthy, protein bars seem like your best friend. They taste great, there are many different varieties and they can be really healthy. However, the store-bought versions are often contain some unwanted ingredients that may even be harmful for your health. This can be hard to even detect, as you don't know what half of the ingredients on the mile-long label even are!

But no worries!

You can make your own protein bars in a simple and easy way at home and enjoy all of the benefits of consuming protein bars without any of the pitfalls.

If you want to learn more, continue reading.

Boost Your Nutrition_Is it Cheaper to Make

Is it Cheaper to Make Your Own Protein Bars?

Protein bars are a great thing when you are trying to eat healthy. It’s very high in protein and low in sugar and carbohydrates which makes for a strong and healthy snack.

The biggest barriers of eating healthy are cravings and hunger which can have us reaching for sweets and junk food.

However, it doesn’t have to happen.

You can have healthy snacks on you anytime.

Protein bars are tasty and healthy and they will fill you up quickly too.

There are two options here: homemade protein bars and store-bought protein bars.

A single protein bar can cost up to $5 and many candy bars are much cheaper than that. If you eat more than one protein bar a day, it can add up and become a lot. You may be able to save up on them when buying in bulk but it’s still more expensive than making your own.

Buying ingredients which are not that expensive and making your own, especially in bulk, will be inevitably cheaper.

When it comes to the general taste of protein bars, you will need to shop around and play with ingredients to get the taste you like. This is another perk of making your own. You get to be in charge and put whatever you like in them. Homemade bars also don’t have to be baked in most cases, just chilled or left to rest overnight.

Boost Your Nutrition_How to Make

How to Make Homemade Protein Bars

Reading the ingredient list on your favorite protein bar can have you quite confused.

Isn’t it supposed to be healthy?

The great number of funky elements might have you eliminating protein bars from your diet completely. Some protein bars can have excessive sugar and artificial ingredients. 

A good thing is that there are plenty of healthy protein bars that are also very convenient for preparation and consumption.

There are many recipes for protein bars that all have different tastes and different ingredients – all of which are healthy. These will also save you a lot of money.

Here are some of the best types to search for. Or, jump down below to our Power Ball Recipe and form them into bars!

Coconut + Matcha Energy Bars

Protein bars are made with coconut and matcha, they are full of antioxidants and they even look great.

Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Clean and simple with only a few ingredients that will keep you full and satisfied for a long time.

Quinoa + Chia Seed Protein Bars

These bars will be chewy and perfect for breakfast and as an energy snack during the day.

Chocolate + Sea Salt Protein Bars

A nutty, crunchy version of the famous RX bar that will give you the perfect amount of sweet and energy for your day.

Kind Bars (store bought!)

These bars are perfect as they are but they also work great as a crumbled up version taken with yogurt.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Protein Bars

This is the perfect switch for your regular protein shakes and it also tastes so great you will never miss your sweets.

No-Sugar Cinnamon Protein Bars

These are based on bananas and they taste great – you won’t believe that there is no sugar.

Mint Chocolate Chip Bars

A refreshing and satisfying combination that works well for all meals.

Almond Protein Bars

This recipe only has six ingredients and it’s a perfect healthy replacement for any kind of cake or sweets.

Cookie Dough Protein Bars

People say that these protein bars taste just like real cookie dough. Enjoy guilt-free!

Boost Your Nutrition_How Long do

How Long do Homemade Protein Bars Stay Fresh?

So, you must be wondering how long you can store these homemade protein bars?

First off, you will need to store them in your fridge and then take out some as you need them. They can be stored in the freezer too and then used later when completely defrosted.

Since there are no preservatives used in these recipes, you will need to be more careful about storing your homemade protein bars. If you want to keep them fresh, you will need to use freezer storage bags which are good when you force the air out of the bag.

You can also store them in plastic containers that are airtight and this will be equally effective. Once the mix is ready and in bar shape, you can wrap each one into plastic sheets and put it in the fridge.

Don’t leave them in containers that are not airtight and never leave them just laying around in your kitchen because they can go bad within 3 days or less.

Boost Your Nutrition_ Power Balls

Easy Protein Power Balls

There are many names out there for this healthy snacks but most people just call them power balls. But no matter what their name is, they are one of the best things you can snack on in between your meals.

Some people love protein bars you can buy in stores but homemade protein balls are healthier and better for you. You get to control the ingredients and you get to save money too.

Here, you’ll be able to learn about recipes that don’t call for a food processor or medjool dates which are both common in power balls recipes.

Here is a base recipe you can use for all of the other power ball recipes on this list.

You will need:

  • Rolled oats
  • Nut butter
  • Honey
  • Protein powder

And this is all you will need. For nut butter, you should make sure that it’s not too dry because the mixture will be a lot harder to combine. You can also add fun ingredients you like to this recipe.

Some protein powders soak up a lot of liquids and some butters are dryer which will cause you to get protein balls which are too crumbly. This is normal and all you should do is add some water or some almond milk to the mixture. Start slow because you don’t want to make the mix too watery either.

The recipes you’ll see are easy to make and you can take them on your workout sessions, to work and other places. They can even serve as a dessert.

Chocolate Peanut Butter

You will need:

  • 1 ½ cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • ¼ honey
  • 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
  • 2 tbsp chocolate chips

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir them until they are combined. You will need a bit of strength as the mixture can seem really thick. You can use your hands to knead when it gets near the end. Then, use a scoop and form balls. Store the balls in containers in your fridge.

Almond Joy

You will need:

  • 1 ½ cups of rolled oats
  • 1 cup almond butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 scoops chocolate protein powder
  • 1 or 2 tbsp shredded coconut

Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Again, it will be a bit tough since it is thick but you should just keep mixing. The shaping and storing process is the same.

Cinnamon Raisin Cookie

You will need:

  • 1 ½ cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup cashew butter
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 2 tbsp raisins
  • ¼ tbsp cinnamon

The preparation process is the same as with two previous recipes.

Tahini Chocolate Chip

  • You will need:
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup tahini
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips

The process is the same as with all previous recipes.

Boost Your Nutrition_Weight Loss

Are Protein Bars Good for Weight Loss?

Protein bars are well known snacks of athletes or anyone who does a lot of exercising. It’s also a favorite snack for anyone trying to lose weight. So, protein bars and balls are actually great for weight loss.

That being said, losing weight is all about burning more calories than you eat in a day.

They are convenient to carry around and as a quick snack. Protein bars replace all of those unhealthy snacks you eat in your day. Just one or two of these bars and you will feel full and energized.

They are obviously high in protein yet low in sodium, sugar and fat.

However, many people make a mistake of not eating fruits and vegetables because protein bars seem like a healthier options. But, it’s really not. Don’t replace your fruit and vegetable meals in the day with protein bars. They are great as snacks but that’s it. Eat fruits and veggies at least twice a day.

Protein bars help with weight loss because they have a low calorie count compared to other snacks.

Make them a part of a well-balanced diet and enjoy!

Sources:

https://ifood.tv/techniques/281188-how-to-store-homemade-protein-bars

https://www.livestrong.com/article/258997-larabars-nutrition/

https://www.daystofitness.com/homemade-vs-store-bought-protein-bars/

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Written by Lisa Quarterman

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