I have spent the past few weeks perfecting the perfect protein bar to share with you. So what constitutes a perfect protein bar? Well, deliciousness of course! But in keeping with one's fitness and physique goals I wanted to create one with appropriate macros as well. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE Quest bars for just this reason but seeing as they have been costing me a bundle each month I wanted to see if I could make a similar product. Indeed I can :)
Qualities of a (good) quality bar:
1. Superb taste
2. Pliable but not too melt-y consistency
3. Majority of carbs from fiber
4. At least 1 serving protein (20 grams)
5. Low in fat & sugar
I began by Googling "Quest bar recipes" and came upon several different sites that offered up similar recipes. However, one site in particular, www.busybuthealthy.com shared a product I had yet to hear of, VitaFiber.
.JPG)
You can read about what exactly VitaFiber is at the Company's website http://www.bioneutra.ca/index.htm but in a nut shell it is a low-calorie, sugar free sweetener similar in consistency to honey that is extremely high in fiber. The product also comes in powder form but for the sake of not having to add additional liquid to my recipe I opted for the syrup version. It costs an arm and a leg but it's so worth it! There is one other company that sells this product in the US however BioNeutra gives you slightly more product for the money, despite the flat shipping charge to the US being more than the product itself!
Before my VitaFiber arrived in the mail I experimented with some cashew-coconut protein bars which were pretty decent in consistency and taste but way too high in sugar due to having used honey in my recipe. For my first experiment with the VitaFiber I made key lime protein bars. These were delicious but way too liquidy and had to be eaten with a spoon! Next I tried peanut butter chocolate bars which were a little harder in consistency but didn't taste as good because of the brand of protein I used (side note: not a fan of MusclePharm!). My third try was with white chocolate macadamia nut flavored bars. These were pretty good but again the consistency was just not quite there. The main ingredients for all of these bars were the VitaFiber, protein powder, flour, and water to achieve desired consistency. Plus of course extras like nuts, coconut, choc chips, lime ride shavings, and lime juice to make the specific flavors. Finally I connected that the best bars consistency-wise were the ones I made the first time which used cashew butter. Thus, today I concocted the perfect protein bar in the flavor of double cashew! You can head on over to my recipes tab for the exact recipe by clicking here: http://gymrat-confessions.blogspot.com/p/favorite-protein-packed-recipes.html. The only modification I would make would be to use 4 scoops of protein and 1/4 cup of flour. I had to adjust this because I only had 3.5 scoops left in the tub! This will make your macros slightly better by increasing the protein and decreasing the carbs a tad. Still, the nutritional content was pretty good!
You could make a delicious double almond bar by using almond butter and almonds instead of the cashew butter and cashews I used today. I can't wait to try these out post-workout tomorrow. I sampled a little bit of the batter and it was soOoOoOo tasty! If you've ever tried the fantastically delicious PureFit protein bars http://purefit.com/ I would liken them to those....but with MUCH better macros!
My tummy is rumbling as I type this so I think I'm going to go prepare an early dinner and then take the pup out for an early evening walk once the sun starts to set. I always feel bad taking him out midday this time of year since I hear the hot tar can really tear-up a dog's tender paws! Anyway, I hope you take a stab at your own protein bars and if you do, please share your own unique recipe and results with the rest of the gym rats in the comments section below! Happy cooking xo
Qualities of a (good) quality bar:
1. Superb taste
2. Pliable but not too melt-y consistency
3. Majority of carbs from fiber
4. At least 1 serving protein (20 grams)
5. Low in fat & sugar
I began by Googling "Quest bar recipes" and came upon several different sites that offered up similar recipes. However, one site in particular, www.busybuthealthy.com shared a product I had yet to hear of, VitaFiber.
You can read about what exactly VitaFiber is at the Company's website http://www.bioneutra.ca/index.htm but in a nut shell it is a low-calorie, sugar free sweetener similar in consistency to honey that is extremely high in fiber. The product also comes in powder form but for the sake of not having to add additional liquid to my recipe I opted for the syrup version. It costs an arm and a leg but it's so worth it! There is one other company that sells this product in the US however BioNeutra gives you slightly more product for the money, despite the flat shipping charge to the US being more than the product itself!
Before my VitaFiber arrived in the mail I experimented with some cashew-coconut protein bars which were pretty decent in consistency and taste but way too high in sugar due to having used honey in my recipe. For my first experiment with the VitaFiber I made key lime protein bars. These were delicious but way too liquidy and had to be eaten with a spoon! Next I tried peanut butter chocolate bars which were a little harder in consistency but didn't taste as good because of the brand of protein I used (side note: not a fan of MusclePharm!). My third try was with white chocolate macadamia nut flavored bars. These were pretty good but again the consistency was just not quite there. The main ingredients for all of these bars were the VitaFiber, protein powder, flour, and water to achieve desired consistency. Plus of course extras like nuts, coconut, choc chips, lime ride shavings, and lime juice to make the specific flavors. Finally I connected that the best bars consistency-wise were the ones I made the first time which used cashew butter. Thus, today I concocted the perfect protein bar in the flavor of double cashew! You can head on over to my recipes tab for the exact recipe by clicking here: http://gymrat-confessions.blogspot.com/p/favorite-protein-packed-recipes.html. The only modification I would make would be to use 4 scoops of protein and 1/4 cup of flour. I had to adjust this because I only had 3.5 scoops left in the tub! This will make your macros slightly better by increasing the protein and decreasing the carbs a tad. Still, the nutritional content was pretty good!
You could make a delicious double almond bar by using almond butter and almonds instead of the cashew butter and cashews I used today. I can't wait to try these out post-workout tomorrow. I sampled a little bit of the batter and it was soOoOoOo tasty! If you've ever tried the fantastically delicious PureFit protein bars http://purefit.com/ I would liken them to those....but with MUCH better macros!
My tummy is rumbling as I type this so I think I'm going to go prepare an early dinner and then take the pup out for an early evening walk once the sun starts to set. I always feel bad taking him out midday this time of year since I hear the hot tar can really tear-up a dog's tender paws! Anyway, I hope you take a stab at your own protein bars and if you do, please share your own unique recipe and results with the rest of the gym rats in the comments section below! Happy cooking xo
Okay now I am super inspired to make my own protein bars! I'm definitely going to give it a shot! By the way, I don't know if you've heard of it but there is an alternative to VitaFiber called FiberYum that is a bit cheaper and corn-free. You can buy it online! Figured I'd let you know!
ReplyDelete