I'm on the run a lot, and am all for convenience. That being said, I came across a fitness site with a couple of recipes for homemade protein bars. I have difficulty doing the math re: zone blocks. Not only that, they can be adjusted up or down carb-wise depending on your particular metabolism. Here are 2 recipes, one for a chocolate/peanut butter bar, and another for a lemon one. Help me balance the zone blocks with addition of carbs, etc.

Recipe #1
Peanut Butter Fudge Protein Bar (clean eating)
Nutrition Info

Calories: 280.7
Fat: 14.1g
Carbohydrates: 13.5g
Protein: 28.0g

Ingredients
-4 scoops chocolate protein powder

-2/3 cup flax seed meal

-4 tbsp natural peanut butter

-1/4 cup water

-stevia or natural sweetener (optional)

-2 tbspn cocoa powder (optional)
Directions
-makes 4 servings

-mix all ingredients in a large bowl and stir. At first it may not seem like it is enough water, but keep stirring and it will eventually become a sticky blob of dough. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time if needed.


-divide mixture into 4 equal portions and place in separate pieces of plastic wrap placing them into bars. It's easier to shape them by lying plastic wrap on one side of a small casserole dish, pressing the dough into the natural shape of the dish.


-store the bars in fridge or freezer. Once solid, enjoy.

Number of Servings: 4

Recipe #2

Ingredients
*Oat flour, Arrowhead Mills, 0.5 cup

*Pure Protein Powder - Vanilla Creme - 1 Scoop, 1 serving

Salt, .13 tsp

Baking Powder, .25 tsp

*Crystal Light Natural Lemonade, .5 serving

*Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, 1/4 cup

egg white, fresh, 2 large

Applesauce, unsweetened, .5 cup

*Lemon Juice, 1 lemon yields

Zest 1 lemon

1/4 cup water
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix oat flour, vanilla whey protein, salt, baking soda and crystal light, in large bowl.

Mix egg whites, Splenda, applesauce and water in a bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.

Spray pyrex dish with non-stick butter spray.

Pour ingredients into dish.

Bake 23 minutes.

Serving Size: makes 8 squares-serving 2 squares

Number of Servings: 8

[quote] Posted By Janice on 15 Apr 2012 03:20 PM
I'm on the run a lot, and am all for convenience. That being said, I came across a fitness site with a couple of recipes for homemade protein bars. I have difficulty doing the math re: zone blocks. Not only that, they can be adjusted up or down carb-wise depending on your particular metabolism. Here are 2 recipes, one for a chocolate/peanut butter bar, and another for a lemon one. Help me balance the zone blocks with addition of carbs, etc.
Recipe #2 Ingredients
*Oat flour, Arrowhead Mills, 0.5 cup
*Pure Protein Powder - Vanilla Creme - 1 Scoop, 1 serving
Salt, .13 tsp
Baking Powder, .25 tsp
*Crystal Light Natural Lemonade, .5 serving
*Splenda No Calorie Sweetener, 1/4 cup
egg white, fresh, 2 large
Applesauce, unsweetened, .5 cup
*Lemon Juice, 1 lemon yields
Zest 1 lemon
1/4 cup water
Serving Size: makes 8 squares-serving 2 squares [/quote]
.
Here's a shot at recipe #2.
Protein Powder: DEPENDS on your brand!
ESTIMATED: 18 g protein per 1 scoop
2 (Large?) egg whites = 8 g Protein.
Total Protein per batch = 26 g Protein
Per ea 2 bar serving = 1 block Protein (6.5 g Protein)
.
Carbohydrates, I looked up: Oat Flour, Unsweetened Applesauce, and Crystal Lite.
NET Carbohydrates = 43.7 = 1 block Cabs (10.93 g Carbs)
.
FAT appears to be near zero!
.
1 serving = 1/4 batch = 2 bars: appears to be balanced with both Protein & Carbs.
.
Missing Fat.
Adding anything to/changing the recipe might render it not solid at room temperature!
You could just bring 6 almonds and have 1 block of Fat to balance.
Or, if you want to attempt changing the recipe, adding Extra Virgin Olive Oil in place of some of the water.
BUT, that might not be the same! Understand with most CW (Conventional Wisdom,
archaically, they are still going with the No Fat mantra!)
2 TBL EVOO = 28 g Fat. Per ea 2 bar serving = 1 block Fat (7.0 g Fat)

P.S. My calculated Carb Total also includes the juice from one lemon!
I just forgot to list it.

Hi Janice - that's an interesting idea about making protein bars. I think your first one would virtually have 0 carbs, though, because I believe that just about all the carbs in flax seeds are fiber. I wonder what would work as a carb source.

Here's another one with oatmeal as the carb:

Recipe 3

Homemade Protein Bars-chocolate


Great healthy power boost!
Minutes to Prepare: 5
Minutes to Cook: 120
Number of Servings: 9

Ingredients

1 1/3 cup oats
4 scoops of chocolate protein powder
1 cup dry nonfat dry milk
1/3 cup each: sunflour seeds, dried cranberry, coconut flakes
5 tbs peanut butter
3/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla



Directions
Oil square baking pan, mix all dry ingredience, mix water and vanilla until smooth. Spoon into pan and refrigerate for two hours. Cut and indivdually wrap. Makes 9 bars.


Number of Servings: 9

If we can "tweak" the recipes, they would really be convenient for staying in the ZONE. I personally have to cut a block of carb because I get hungry but am alert. But if we can get it to either 3 or 4 blocks it would work to have as a quick meal or a portion for a snack.

1 block of fat is 1.5 g, not 7.0 g

:)

Janice,
Do you use steel cut or rolled oats? Is this 1- 1/3 cups dry or cooked oats?

Thanks
Laura