Snack Time!

We came across this recipe from a cookbook full of recipes that are gluten free. There are a lot of recipes in the book that are grain free also which is perfect for those of us who need to watch our carb intake! These bars are so good and full of protein, fiber, and good fats. Leo, Shannyn and I would actually have them for breakfast, snack time and dessert. Enjoy!

Chocolate Almond Protein Bars


Bars
2 cups almond meal
1 cup ground flax seed meal
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
3 scoops of chocolate whey protein powder (make sure it's not sweetened with sugar)
1/2 cup xylitol or stevia (no chemical sweeteners for us!)
1/2 cup coconut oil (don't worry, it's an excellent fat to have in your diet!)
1/4 cup butter (the real stuff, not margarine)
3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 tsp pure vanilla

Chocolate Topping
4 squares unsweetened baking chocolate
2 Tbs coconut oil
1 Tbs butter
1/4 tsp liquid stevia (well worth the price tag! find it at a natural grocery store)

1.  Place almond meal, flax meal, coconut, whey protein, and xylitol or stevia in a food processor and pulse until mixture is ground into a meal consistency
2.  In a double boiler, melt coconut oil, butter and 3 squares of chocolate. Once melted, add vanilla and stir to combine.
3.  Mix liquid chocolate with dry ingredients in a bowl until it turns into a paste
4.  Press mixture into a 8x8 glass baking dish and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour or until mixture hardens
5.  In a double boiler, melt butter and coconut oil. Stir in liquid stevia. Add chocolate squares and stir until melted.
6.  Pour melted chocolate over bars and tilt pan to spread evenly. Return to refrigerator until chocolate hardens.
7.  Cut into squares and enjoy! If the chocolate cracks when cutting, let the bars sit for a few minutes at room temperature.

Keep these refrigerated so they don't soften up. They also freeze well. For the whole 8x8 pan I figured there was a total of about 110 g of carbohydrates and 100 of those grams were fiber. Your totals may be different depending on the type of whey protein used but usually whey protein powder is about 1.5-2 grams of carbs per scoop. Just make sure you read the label and find some that isn't sweetened with sugar! There are a few brands that sweeten their protein powder with stevia. We have been drinking a lot of "milkshakes" for breakfast using the whey protein. The kids get a big kick out of it!

The liquid stevia is pricey but also very worth it. You don't use a whole lot at any given time and it's so much better for you than artificial sweeteners. I found mine at Natural Grocers and they had a whole line of flavored liquid stevia that you could mix with sparkling water to make fun sodas too! I'm going to go get some root beer flavor and try it out!

These bars are really easy to make and really good for you. I don't have any guilt grabbing one of these for a snack, breakfast or dessert. Leo absolutely loves them and it's a sweet snack that won't spike his blood sugar. Hope you enjoy them!


*Check out www.maximizedliving.com for more great gluten and grain free recipes!*