Why buy protein bars when you can whip up these tasty recovery snacks in your own kitchen?
Easily digested carbohydrates, protein, magnesium, calcium and B vitamins make these mini recovery-bars a great post-exercise snack. Just what your muscles need!
With a few small adjustments they even can be turned into a healty dessert or guilt-free treat. The texture and taste is very similar to traditional Swedish chocolate balls, but without the added fat or refined sugar.
These mini-bars have a carbohydrate to protein ratio of 3:1, which is ideal for post-training recovery.
For dessert/treats: Skip the protein powder and rooibos tea (or water). Roll 1 tbsp of dough into balls instead of making bars.
Here is the basic recipe:
Recovery Mini-bars
Calories per bar: 192 Kcal, barely 10% of a 2000-calorie diet
Macronutrients per bar: 29g carbs (of which 22g are naturally occurring sugars), 10g protein, 4g fat
Micronutrients: Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A, Folate and more
Ingredients
- 200g fresh dates (seeds removed) – preferably at room temperature
- 200ml rolled oats
- 100ml (45g) soya or whey protein powder (85% protein)
- 50ml grated coconut + extra for rolling
- 1 tablespoon high quality, unsweetened cocoa powder
- ground seeds from 5 green cardamom pods (or 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom powder)
- 1 1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon powedered vanilla pod (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
- 50ml rooibos tea or water
Directions
- Mash or knead the dates into a dough. This step will be easier if the dates are at room temperature.
- Add the dry ingredients and work them into the date dough.
- Divide the dough into 5 equally sized portions and shape them into bars or squares.
- Place the bars in the refrigerater for at least 1 hour before serving. This gives them a firmer texture.