Superfood Energy Bars
Hiiiii ๐ Howโs the afternoon going?
Monday in a nutshell.
I figured I could really use a cup of Joe, so I made a cup and begin enthusiastically shaking what I thought was cinnamon into the mug. Red pepper flakes. I finished off the jar. I donโt even know.
The rest of the morning was less of a fail. ๐ First, food.
Then, a super sweaty BODYPUMP class. I FINALLY feel like Iโm getting into my groove with teaching BP, and I think with each new release it will get even easier. Iโm excited for the day that the cueing becomes second nature (they have very specific cues you need to include in each track). Next, was Liviโs gymnastics class. Usually before BODYPUMP, Iโll have small breakfast part 1, and after class, itโs breakfast part 2. Iโm the weird girl in the gymnastics lobby eating something out of a jar each week.
(Chia and oat pudding: 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 1/4 cup oats, cinnamon, about 1 cup almond milk, berries)
We ran a couple of errands, came home for lunch and a dance party (Livi was wearing her Sofia princess dress and my flamenco heels), and now sheโs snoozing while I get some work done and get ready for spin.
Today I have a fun new snack recipe to share! I made this last week at the test kitchen during our visit to Minneapolis. We had so many awesome ingredients to choose from, and were given the freedom to make something we thought our readerfriends would enjoy.
The goods:
I put together this mix of oats, almond milk, protein powder, nut butter, and some of my favorite superfoods (chocolate and goji berries, natch). I wasnโt quite sure how they would turn out, but they came out really well! Iโm excited to make another batch to have for easy snacks. Just donโt skip the chocolate chips.
#basicfoodblogger
Hereโs the recipe if youโd like to give it a try!
Makes 12 bars
1 cup oats
24g vanilla protein powder
1 cup almond, ground into flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/4 cup goji berries
-Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Spread into a greased baking dish and bake in a 350* preheated oven for about 25 minutes until set. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into bars.
Any Moanday fails today? Whatโs on the workout plan? Iโm excited for spin tonight. Our fitness director encouraged us to change up our playlists from our usual genres (my standards are club mixes, Fallout Boy-type angry songs for sprints and hills, or instrumentals like Bond and this song), so Iโm going to try and switch it up with my playlist. Looking for some fun throwbacks, country or swing to add in there. ๐ Please let me know if you have any faves!
Have a great night and Iโll see ya in the morning with a new kettlebell workout.
xoxo
Gina
Some fun news coming in the next couple of weeks! <3
mmm, these look delicious! I think I need to make some next weekend for sure! ๐
The bars look great and I definitely won’t skip the chocolate!
No Monday fails over here but I definitely did chuckle at yours :P. Have a great night at Spin!
Can you replace the protein powder with some other ingredient?
sure, you can add more almond meal or some oat flour instead
Throwbacks? Just off the top of my head: Livin On a Prayer (Bon Jovi), Eye of the Tiger (Survivor), Sweet Child of Mine (Guns N Roses) ๐
“Muse” also has some nice steady/pulsing/”angry” songs if you were looking to add to that genre (specifically Starlight, Uprising)
For country–What about Devil went down to Georgia? (That fits throwback AND country—haha)
thank you for these! i have almost all of them in my music, too, and had totally forgotten about them!
Sure thing! If someone were to see my playlists I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t believe they came from the same person. Luke Bryan followed by Rick Ross? Makes TOTAL sense
i’m the same way haha. between my zumba music, broadway musicals, and angry workout music, it’s quite the collection ๐
I feel like living on a prayer would be a good spin song actually! ๐
I never skip the chocolate chips. Ha. I bet they’d be good straight outta the freezer. Yum!
sometimes people are like “i made these, but without chocolate chips” and i’m like “WHY DID YOU DO THAT?” haha ๐
xoxo
Allllllways do the chocolate. Life is short. Eat more chocolate. ๐
amennnnn
If you’re looking for some swing, I highly recommend electroswing. My personal favorites are Pavor Stelar and Caravan Palace.
Booty Swing by Parov Stellar (Fun video here, makes me smile every time https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eco4z98nIQY)
Chambermaid swing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpaOh4poNms
Clash by Caravan Palace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sBZdSHAIZI
so excited to check these out! thank you!
Hi Gina! BODYPUMP teaching will continue to get easier! Maybe you’ll add another Les Mills program one day?? And I’m excited about the exciting news!!! hehehe Have a great evening. I’m off to teach!
I wasn’t supposed to work today but ended up filling in for a coworker… not necessarily a fail but still kind of a bummer.
Haha I’ve never heard “Moan-day” but I’ll have to adopt that…. I have somehow not eaten much today, but I’ve been productive so I guess the day is running pretty even so far. ๐
Red pepper flakes!? Oh no! Haha.
Mmm, those bars look yummy. Could you substitute flax egg for the two regular eggs or would that change the consistency of the oat bars too much (it’s not because of allergies, just curious)? Yum, I will make those later this week, thanks ๐
YUM! These look great! Can’t go wrong with almond butter and chocolate chips in a recipe!
Haha, someone took a picture of you taking a pIcture of food ๐
A few weeks ago, you blogged about a health or some sort of fitness Retreat in Vancouver, I’m wondering if you know any in toronto?
Oh, if you can, please reply to this comment I’m typing right here so I can see your response! I accidentally typed in the wrong email with that last one up there. ^
Curious of this will work with regular whole wheat flour?
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try some ๐
These little protein sticks look delicious! I’m always game for an everything I love thrown together recipe. The cereal balls in the photo look amazing too – I used to use organic multigrain mixed cereal instead of rice krispies for squares…but still snuck in the marshmallows :/
Jill
Latest Post: Does Non-toxic Nailpolish Actually Last? I Tested 3 Brands!
Hello! What size pan did you use? Thanks!
it was a square pan- pretty sure 8×8
does that oat/chia mix have to soak overnight?
Mina
Yum! I’m on a big bar kick right now. Can’t wait to try these! My morning fail was ripping my tights when I put them on. By the time I got to work, they had run like crazy. I was already skeptical if I should be wearing them or not, but the weather said it was only going to be 69 in Phx. I guess they weren’t meant to be.
Throw back song – Authority Song by John Cougar Mellencamp & Rompe by Daddy Yanke.
Yumm! Can’t wait to try these bars out. No major fails today other than the fact I’m exhausted from staying up way past my bedtime finishing reading ‘Big Little Lies’ OMG… I couldn’t put it down at the end!! Gahhh… Now I need a new book:)
Today’s workouts consisted of a RIPPED class and an amazing hot hatha class!
such a great book! totally sucked me in, too. have you read “what alice forgot?” i’m cranking through that one now
I haven’t yet! But it’s officially on my ‘to read’ list now! Thanks:)
That must have been some spicy coffee! haha
Those bars sound delicious! (No worries, I would *never* skip the chocolate!) I may give them a shot this week/weekend.
Sorry about your coffee fail! Did you try making another cup? It sounds like you really needed it….
haha yes i definitely made another cup
No Moanday fails for me today, but exactly 2 weeks ago I was trying to record a voice mail greeting on my new work phone; I stuttered while recording it, and said “well, s–t” on the recording–oops. So I tried to re-record and couldn’t figure out how! I panicked because I just knew if I left my office someone would call and get my voice mail :/ I finally ended up having to call our IT department to reset my greeting. The worst part was the IT guy had to listen to my entire recording before resetting it. Derpity derp derp.
Have fun spinning!
hahaha oh no!!! (made me laugh though)
hey um, where are the berries in the recipe? ๐
gahhhhh. they’re somewhere! i didn’t write them down. 1/4 cup
Awwww i bet that coffee didn’t taste too good! Oops haha ๐ I love chia pudding!!! My fail today – not enough sunscreen and getting a little burnt :s not a good idea!!!
A fun swing song that my instructor has used for spin is Candyman by Christina Aguilera. ๐
Throwback: Rump Shaker (radio edit, probably) Wrecks N Effect
RUMP SHAKER. so good
Is it 2 eggs twice? Or just 2 with a typo (I’m guessing yes but don’t want to risk making them and wasting the ingredients!) sound yum!
just 2 eggs!
Nelly and T-Pain for the throwback! (It’s sad to think they are now throwbacks =( )
right?! makes me feel old
These look fantastically tasty! Sorry to hear about your coffee though, did the chilli flakes not open up a new world of fusion flavour?
hahaha definitely no
I imagine you would be a fabulous Body Pump instructor, as your cues, instructions and encouragement in your own videos are so great. I would feel very lucky to attend one of your classes ๐
thank you so much, cars! let me know if you’re ever in san diego ๐
Maybe someday!
My travel plans right now are bringing me to Bali, so San Diego is a little out of the way ๐
hahah i’m a little jealous
My worst fails are always angel food cake and waffles
ahhhhh. angel food cake sounds amazing right now
These look great! Is it 2 eggs or 4? This ingredient is listed twice in two separate planes in the recipe.
just 2 eggs! sorry about that!
Hey Gina,
These bars look fab. I notice “2 eggs” is mentioned twice. Are there 4 eggs total that go in?
Also, do you think egg whites only or a vegan (flax/chia “egg”) would work to substitute?
gah. no, it is 2 eggs. officially my coffee fail lasted through the day ๐
i’m not sure. the eggs give it a really nice fluffy texture
Oh my goodness… too many coffee fails to count.
Sometimes I put a sprankle of spice in the grinds (pre-brew), and have done this in the wee hours of the morning, sometimes in the dark (I’m a personal trainer– early wake-up calls!), only to end up with cumin in my coffee or worse, in my oatmeal. *gag*
Or that time I remember to pre-program the pot the night before and then forget to add water… or coffee. Lol Brewin’ myself a mug of hot… water. #doublefail
Normally not too much a country fan, but have been loving ‘Homegrown’ by Zac Brown lately. Not sure how/if you could work that in.
On the bar note, what kind of protein did you use if you don’t mind me asking? I know you’re normally a SunWarrior gal, but plant protein/egg/whey are all just so different in baking so it makes a difference. TIA ๐
oh noooooo.
i will definitely check out that song!
i used a plant based one they had at GM. it worked pretty well! i wouldn’t use egg white or whey, but brown rice or vegan protein should work
Thank you, friend! Costco has a new plant-based protein I’ve been meaning to try.
This aren’t throwbacks songs but I really like Seven Nation Army by Ben L’Oncle Soul, Free (feat. Emeli Sande) by Rudimental, Beggin for Thread by Banks, What Kind of Man by Florence and The Machine and Polariod by Imagine Dragons.
i will definitely check all of these out- thank you!
You seemed to handle your red pepper coffee very well. I think I would’ve been crying real tears into that cup. That first cup is vital!! The thought of having to wait for my Keurig to do it’s thing again might be a little too much to bear!
No fails here today but one great success…I’m officially signed up for yoga teacher training!!! Sooooo soooo excited ๐ You should do it, too!!
haha right?! the keurig seems so take twice as long for round 2, too.
NO WAY! that is so awesome! when are you starting??
June 13th! I’m so stinkin’ excited ๐ ๐ ๐
Seriously…you should do it!!!
I seriously need to get my daughter started in some gymnastics. She talks about it all the time!! I would be the fellow mom leaning over saying, “What’s in the jar?” haha. Now I need to make chia pudding. I’ve been thinking about it on and off again and how I miss itโฆwelp, it’s happening!
My girl is napping right now so I was trying to get caught up on some blogs and was supposed to be enjoying my tea that I forgot was steeping on the counter. Oops!
I went to a new spin class the other day and the instructor had an all hip hop playlist – it was an awesome change of pace!
that’s awesome!!
The energy bars look soooo good. I can’t wait to try them.. love the addition of protein powder, I’ve never tried a goji berry.
Those look really good! I’ll have to try them sometime.
As for the coffee…did you find out your mistake by taking a sip? That sounds sooooooo awful haha!
ahah no, thank goodness!
These look delicious! Glad they went a bit smoother than your morning cup of joe! I have totally done something like this when cooking on numerous occasions!
Oh my Gina, these comments people left are super funny! What a fun post! How would you describe the texture of the bar? Soft, chewy, crunchy, dense?
soft and chewy, nutty
Mama’s Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert
Another ammmmazing recipe!! Just polished these off!! I made them Monday night! I did share a few with my dad and bf.. And they loved them!!! Perfect afternoon pick me up!!!!
yay, so happy to hear!! ๐
I made these tonight.. & OH MY! My new favorite oatmeal/protein bar ๐ Which is saying a lot ๐ I used vanilla vega for the powder & they taste amazing, not to mention my kitchen smells lovely.
so awesome! i’m happy they turned out well!
I whipped these up today! They are baking now. The batter was suuuuper thick. Was it supposed to be so thick? Guess I’ll find out in about 10 minutes!
yes, they’re more cake-like! how’d they turn out??
Hi
What kind of goji berries, dried?
Thanks
yep!
thank you so much